Broken
by Elfbrat18
Summary: Everyone said he trouble but she refused to listen. Her heart and her mind were elsewhere when she was with him. Just as they said, the truth hurts when his true colors and fist come out. Feeling lost and heartbroken she flees. UPDATED FINALLY!
1. Feuding among Friends

**Broken**

**Just a slight warning. Don't get too attached to the title, it's gonna change.**

The school bell rang at Domino High, signaling the end of the day. Yugi Mutou, Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, and Duke Devlin were among the last of the students to leave, mainly because they were waiting on their friend, Tea Gardner to emerge from class. Odd thing was, Tea was late, which normally wasn't like her. The three boys waited patiently outside the school grounds as she came running up with a guy trailing not far behind her.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry we're late, the teacher was talking to Koga about some paper he had to write, and he asked me if I would wait on him," Tea said breathlessly as the two met up with the group. Koga was Tea's 'boyfriend', a well-known guy of Domino High, and every girl's fantasy: the tall, dark, and handsome type. He stood about 5'7", bronzed skin, dark brown hair and brown eyes, and not to mention a well-built body.

"It's fine. So what's everyone doing this weekend?" Yugi asked, waving off her apology with a smile.

"I'm going to visit Serenity at the hospital," Joey, Tristan, and Duke said at once. Well, needless to say, that started an argument over Joey's little sister. Joey, being the protective big brother, and Tristan and Duke being the jealous two that wanted to get Serenity to go out with them. Serenity was in the hospital because of her tonsils, and since it was Friday, they would be able to see her without having to leave early to do homework.

"Well, Grandpa's getting stock this weekend, so I guess you know what me and Yami will be doing," Yugi said. "What are you doing Tea?"

Tea thought about it for a minute before she looked to Koga. "Well...Koga and me are gonna get together and do something tonight, but as for the rest of this weekend, I'm not sure."

Koga chose this moment to book it. "Tea, I'm gonna see you later this evening, okay? I'll pick you up at 5 o' clock."

"Alright, that sounds good. See ya."

"Yeah...see you..." Koga paused to kiss Tea on the cheek before turning on his heel and leaving.

This action was enough to stop the argument concerning Serenity, and cause everyone's attention to focus on Tea. "What?" she asked.

"You going out with that jerk?" Joey asked.

Tea nodded. "So? What's it matter to you guys, you all know him."

"We know _of _him, and of his reputation with girls. There's a big difference." Duke corrected.

Tea's brows furrowed. "What do you mean, Duke?"

"Listen Tea, Koga's rep isn't that great. He looks for the next big thrill, and once he's gotten what he's wanted with that girl, he moves on to the next. Some girls say he's a player; he's only out to satisfy his own pleasures. And now he's set his sights on you."

"So you're telling me that I'm the flavor of the week?"

"YES!" Duke, Joey, and Tristan said.

Tea started laughing, not quite the reaction they were expecting. "You guys are so clueless! Koga's told me about his past, but you've got to believe me when I say he's changed."

This time it was their turn to laugh. "You expect us to believe that load of shit! Tea, he's using you, you need to get that through your head!" Joey yelled, grabbing her shoulders.

Tea jerked out of his grasp. "I don't have to listen to you three lecture me! I can tell that Koga's changed, I can feel it!"

"You're just blinded by his looks!" Tristan said.

"When are you gonna grow up and listen to us!" Duke shouted. All the while, Yugi was watching the scene unfold before his eyes, and jumped behind the bench at the last comment. The LAST thing they needed to tell Tea was to grow up, considering they haven't changed at all.

"You guys need to listen to ME: Koga and I have been seeing each other for more than a month now. Believe me, I know that he's changed," tea seethed through clenched teeth. She grabbed her bag and started to leave but stopped. "Oh, and another thing: you three have no room to talk about growing up!"

"Fine then!" Joey yelled after her as she continued to walk down the road. "Be that way! But don't say that we didn't warn you when he dumps you on your ass!"

Tea's reply were both of her hands coming up to give the middle finger in defiance as she stormed off, leaving the four boys in a state of stupor.

"If that's the way you want it Tea, then don't expect me to comfort you when he dumps you!" Joey yelled.

"Yeah, what he said!" Tristan yelled.

"The same goes for me as well!" Duke yelled.

The backside of Tea Gardner showed no signs of regret as she continued to walk.

* * *

Yugi entered the doors of the Turtle Hut to find Yami (in his spirit form. a/n: don't ask, just go with it) shuffling through boxes and placing things on shelves, and Grandpa Mutou carrying more boxes in.

"Ah, Yugi my boy, you're home! And just in time too! You can help Yami and me unload some of these boxes."

"Hey Grandpa, hey Yami. Sure, just let me set my stuff down," Yugi said blandly as he left the room. When he came back in, he was met with the questioning looks of Yami and his grandfather. "Alright, I'll tell you..." Yugi said and dove right into the story about what happened after school, the arguments, Tea's rebellion, and the effects of anger getting the better of people.

"I see," Yami said. "What did you do, Yugi?"

"What could I do? I was afraid to say anything for fear of having my head taken off."

"I think the boys were right about Koga," Grandpa began, "Word travels fast when kids from your school come here to buy Duel Monsters cards. And from what I've gathered about this Koga kid, Tea may be in further than she thinks."

"But what can I do, Grandpa? Tea's like a sister to me, but she won't listen to any of us. She has it in her head that Koga's Prince Charming or something, and she isn't thinking straight."

Grandpa nodded his head, thinking. "You two have known each other since you were small kids, you'd think that bond would be stronger than the one she's made with Koga."

"I just don't want her to get hurt, Grandpa. That's all."

"Neither do I," Yami said, setting down the clipboard and leaving the shop. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

Yami managed to catch up to Koga just as he was rounding the corner to Tea's house.

"You're name is Koga, am I correct?" Yami said flatly.

Koga turned his head as he stopped at the driveway. "Who wants to know?"

"I do." the Pharaoh said, walking closer.

"And just who the hell are you?"

"I'm a _close_ friend of Tea's. That's all you need to know." Yami hissed.

"How's that?" he asked smirking.

"If you so much as hurt Tea, in any way, I will personally come to your home and make you feel pain that is undescribable. When I'm done with you, you will not be jugded when you die; you will cease to exist."

"Are you threatening me?"

"You'd better consider this a warning, Koga." Yami said as Tea walked out of her house.

"Yami," Tea said suprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I just needed to ask Koga a question is all. I'll be leaving shortly." Yami replied, shooting a quick glare at Koga. Koga just smiled and pulled Tea into his embrace.

"I love you," he said, smiling as he watched each word sink into the very pit of Yami's soul.

The fact that Koga said 'I love you' shocked Tea to no end. "...uh...thank you..." she replied, pulling out of arms. "I...I forgot...something in the house. I'll be back..." then quickly made her way up to the house again.

Once Tea was inside, Koga turned back to Yami with the same smirk on his face. "See...love is just a word...it doesn't mean anything."

Yami came within inches of Koga's face. "If you so much as make her cry...so help me God I will come back here and kick your ass." he hissed before turning on his heel and leaving just as Tea was shutting the door to her house.

**Wow, didn't see that coming, did ya? Well, this is short and blunt, but more will be explained in the next chapter or two...just as soon as I figure out where this is going. Anyway, read and review. Elfbrat18**


	2. Is that

It had been two months since that fated day when Yami threatened Koga, and matters haven't improved much. Joey, Tristan, and Duke have stopped talking to Tea altogether, and have even taken her dating Koga so far that they won't even spare a glance in her direction. This didn't phase Tea, however. She continued to see Koga, even despite the pleading of Yugi. Yami remained isolated within the Millennium Puzzle, only emerging to talk with Yugi late at night. It was late one night that Yami came to a decision when Yugi was overloaded with homework.

"Yugi, I have something important that I need to ask of you."

Yugi scratched his head before looking at Yami. "Sure, but can you help me with this problem?"

"Alright. What is it that you're having trouble with?"

"Okay here goes: If A and B are real numbers, and the surface of Line XY is the summit, then Triangle ABC denotes the open interval of A, if C is the first point of interval, then: 1) The triangle of ABC is a to D (X,Y minus A,C) which is included in surface of (A,B), or 2) If (A,B) moves around 1, then A becomes the greatest number of (A,B) then (X,Y) are less than the combined area of the triangle. What do you think it is Yami, 1 or 2?"

Silence.

More silence.

Finally Yami opened his mouth. "…um…uh…how's a 5,000-year-old pharaoh supposed to know that?"

Yugi stared at him for a few minutes before laughing nervously. "Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to. I'll just put down 1 and hope it's right. So what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

* * *

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!" Yugi shouted.

Yami tried to make him lower his voice. "Yes…I think it's time. But you have to keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone, not even your grandfather."

"Can you handle this? After all, it has been a while since you-"

"I know that. But after these years that I have spent with you and everyone, I feel that it would be for the best."

"Okay, but only if you're sure Yami. I doubt that this is one of those things that can be reversed."

"I'm sure Yugi. Now, you need to get back to your homework. We'll discuss this matter once school has let out."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. Your schoolwork is more important." Yami stated, ending the conversation at that.

* * *

The days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before the seniors at Domino High knew it, they were preparing for their graduation. Although, there were some that slept in even on their big day, too tired from staying up late at night studying for their last exams.

"Yugi! Yugi! Yugi get up now!" Mr. Mutou's voice echoed in the hallway, as he stopped at Yugi's door. "You need to get up now or you'll be late! Did you forget what today was?"

Yami was even having a hard time trying to wake Yugi up. "Yugi, get up! You'll be late for school!" Yami's response was Yugi rolling over in the bed and yawning. A vein in the side of his head started to throb. "Yugi, get up NOW!" he shouted, pulling the blankets, and Yugi, off the bed, ending with a loud THUMP!

Yami stood drumming his foot on the floor and holding the blankets under one arm as Yugi collected himself from the floor. Yugi looked up at the Pharaoh, and was about to say something before Yami cut him off.

"You can get mad at me later Yugi, but your grandfather and I have been trying to wake you up for the past ten minutes. If you don't get dressed now, you're going to be late for school!"

Realization struck Yugi and he was in his closet, pulling out his uniform and stuffing books into his book bag. Yami just shook his head and sighed.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Joey's…

Duke and Tristan had stayed over at Joey's the previous night, celebrating the fact that they had squeezed by on their exams. However, the one thing they forgot was their graduation, which was going to start within the hour. But, they were to report to school earlier, say, in 15 minutes? The alarm clock continued to attempt to make itself known until the sound of the phone ringing drowned it out.

Joey's mind eventually got the message and heaved himself up off of the couch to answer the phone and shut off the alarm clock. "Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Joey? Where are you?" came a feminine voice on the other line.

Joey knew who it was at once. "Serenity! What's wrong? You sound worried about something."

"Were you asleep? Joey did you forget what today is?" Serenity sighed over the phone. She should have known better.

"Why, what's today?" he asked, still half-asleep.

"YOUR GRADUATION JOEY! DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU! THE SCHOOL CALLED ME ASKING WHERE YOU, TRISTAN, AND DUKE ARE! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE SCHOOL IN LIKE…TEN MINUTES!" Serenity shouted into the receiver, annoyed at her big brother's lack of memory.

"Holy crap, that's right! Thanks for reminding me, sis!" Joey said and set the phone down, thinking he had hung up. Serenity could hear the shouts of her brother trying to get Tristan and Duke up, and then the shrieks and shouts of all three trying to change clothes and get what they needed before she hung up.

* * *

Meanwhile…at Tea's house…

An arm peeked out from under a sky blue comforter to bring about the unfortunate demise of a five-dollar alarm clock. Brown hair that was normally neat was at the moment a mess. A slender body clad in black pj pants and a white tank top lifted its owner from the comforts of bed and over to where the busted clock lay. Blue eyes widened in shock as the mind of Tea Gardner realized that she was late for her last day of school.

"Oh hell!" She cried. "I'm late! I'm late!"

Running around the room like a mad woman on menopause trying to free herself from the worst hot flash in history, Tea hastily pulled on her skirt and blouse with one hand while she tried to brush out the tangles in her shoulder length hair as she stumbled around the room looking for her left shoe with the other hand.

When she was certain that she had everything she thought she would need, she stopped short as she realized that Koga was asleep on her bed! Quickly she kicked him awake and told him to hurry up because they were late. A million questions running through her mind, she started to drill Koga as he moved about the room.

"What are you doing here? What happened last night? Did we do what I think we did?" she asked frantically.

Koga stopped and turned to look at her. "It was late last night and you, not in your state of mind at the time, told me that I could spend the night. We stayed up partying and you had a little too much wine to drink. We were celebrating the end of our high school days. No, we did not. I would have liked to, but you strictly stated that you were waiting for the right person to come along. I asked if it was me, and you just stared at me and passed out on your bed. Despite what you have heard about me I am a gentleman, so I slept above the covers while you slept under them. We did nothing but have a little wine, eat junk food, and watch movies. Like you said, we need to get to school."

"Right." Tea said, following him out of her room. "Good thing that the school is only minutes away from here."

* * *

At Domino High…

The seniors were bustling around talking about anything and everything as the faculty and staff were making last-minute preparations before the ceremony. Many were planning Graduation parties, some were heading to the beach, others back home to celebrate with family, some going home to just hang out with their closest friends.

Yugi was sitting at a table waiting for the others to show up, when he saw Tea and Koga come into the room. Tea spotted Yugi almost immediately and waved out to him. She was about to come over to the table and sit down when Koga grabbed her arm and stopped her. Yugi couldn't hear what he said to her, but when he did let go she walked quickly over and sat down beside Yugi, a look of frustration and worry on her face.

"Tea, is something wrong?"

"Wha- oh, sorry. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that you're never late for school, and today you were nearly late for your own graduation!" He laughed, trying to ease the mood. It raised his spirits some when she cracked a smile and started to laugh as well.

"That's true. Did you wake up late as well, Yugi?"

"Yeah…Grandpa was in the hall yelling for me to get up, but it took Yami to get me up. He actually jerked the covers, with me still in them off the bed!"

Tea laughed at the mental image. "Say, how's Yami doing? I haven't seen or spoke to him since he and Koga were talking outside my house. That was what, four months ago?"

Yugi sighed. "Uh huh," he mentally recalled Yami's tirade when he got back from Tea's that afternoon. She still had no idea what Yami threatened to do to Koga, much less know that he threatened him. "Tea, what was it that made you wake up late? I still haven't caught up on all of my sleep since exams." He asked, trying to change the subject.

Tea shifted uncomfortably in her chair. How could she tell Yugi without him or Yami getting mad at her? She certainly couldn't lie to them. But what would Koga do if they confronted him about it? These among other questions became a whirl in her head as Yugi stared at her, waiting patiently for an answer. She leaned forwards slightly, motioning for Yugi to do the same.

"Please Yugi, don't tell anyone, not even Yami." Tea whispered.

"Is something wrong Tea? Are you in trouble?" Yugi asked, his voice lowering to match hers.

Tea paused for a brief second before continuing. "If Koga finds out, yes. Anyway, last night, Koga was over at my house. We were celebrating the end of exams, and he brought some wine."

"But you're too young to drink, what were you thinking!"

"I know that. But I wasn't thinking last night, which scares me. I guess I was just glad that those exams were over with. As I was saying, we were eating junk food and watching movies as well. Then Koga asked me…he asked me…"

"He asked you what?"

"…if-if I was…if I was ready to…you know…"

"You didn't, did you?"

"No. I told him that I was waiting for the right person before I gave it away. Then he asked me if he was that person."

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything. It was that moment that I passed out in my bed. Koga told me that he wouldn't do anything without my permission, which is…somewhat comforting. Anyways, he fell asleep on my bed, on top of the covers, I was under them."

Yugi's jaw nearly hit the floor as Tea was telling the story over to him. For one thing, he couldn't believe that Tea would be so reckless.

"Yugi, listen to me," Tea pleaded quietly, "don't tell anyone. Don't tell Joey or Tristan or Duke. Don't even say anything to your grandpa or Yami for that matter. And especially don't tell Koga what I told you. There's no telling what he'll do if he finds out."

"Alright, alright, I won't. Will Koga get mad if he finds out that you told?"

"I don't know. That's why he stopped me earlier. He told me not to say anything about last night to anyone, and that includes you. But…I just had to tell you; I couldn't lie to you."

Yugi smiled and placed a comforting hand over hers. "I'm glad that you told me Tea." He was cut short by the shouts of Joey, Tristan, and Duke, who had finally arrived and were walking over to them. Yugi noticed that Tea's expression turned from friendly to cold at the arrival of three ex-friends.

"Sorry we're late Yugi," Joey said, scratching his head.

Tristan slapped him on the shoulder. "It's all this doofus-brain's fault that we're not on time. We would've been earlier but he kept us up until two in the morning."

Duke set his bag on the table, ignoring the ensuing argument and nodding at both Yugi and Tea. Tea, however, didn't return the gesture. This didn't surprise Yugi or Duke.

"What's with the silent treatment, Tea? Still sore about what we said months ago?" he asked politely.

"Actually, yes, I am. Why do you ask?" she said through gritted teeth.

Duke held out his hand. "Well, unlike those two behind me, I've gotten over our little spat. Do you think you could forgive me, even if you can't Joey or Tristan?"

Tea stared at his hand. "Why so sudden a change in views, Duke?"

"It's graduation, and I just don't want to have one of my fellow seniors and best friends mad at me for some stupid things I said at least four months ago. Am I forgiven?"

"Sure, after all, that was a heartfelt apology you gave me. I forgive you, Duke, but can you forgive me for all of the stupid things I said?"

"Of course. The past is behind us. Even though we cannot change the mistakes that were made in the past, we can at least learn from them and carry on with life." Duke said, shaking her hand, saying that all was forgiven between the two.

"But what about those two?" Yugi asked.

"They're stubborn, so it will be longer before you can get an apology out of either of them." Duke mused, watching the two grumble at each other in confusing ramblings.

The room became silent when the teachers called the students together to prepare them for their graduation ceremony. As the students got into place, Yugi said "See you guys after graduation! Let's meet back at the Turtle Hut this afternoon."

* * *

"Here's to finally making it out of high school!"

"And to your futures in the road ahead! May your paths continue to cross in the years to come!" Mr. Mutou toasted.

The sounds of glasses clinking echoed throughout the room. As agreed, everyone met up back at the Turtle Hut later that day. Yugi called and asked them to come over later than he had planned because 'something had come up that he needed to take care of.' This left them puzzled to no end, especially when Yugi excused himself not long into the party.

Once Yugi was back in his room, he looked around and couldn't find his 'excuse.' But then he heard grumbling and turned around.

"So there you are. Well, it's time. You ready?"

"I'm not sure."

"How can you say that? You knew what would happen, you know, no turning back?"

"Yes...but now, now it's an odd feeling I'm having. Everything's going to change from this point on."

"Yeah, I know. But things are supposed to change, for better or worse." Yugi sighed.

The silence swept through the room like a tornado. Yugi rocked back and forth on his heels before finally breaking the barrier of silence.

"Let's just hope it's leaning more towards the better," he laughed nervously, before leaving the room.

* * *

"So how are things going with you guys?" Tea asked.

"Fine with me. People really like Dungeon Dice Monsters. Some have even told me that they would rank it up there with Duel Monsters. Now all I have to do is talk with Kaiba about finding a way to combine his duel disks with Dungeon Dice Monsters...think he'll go for it?"

"It's hard to say knowing him." Tea replied.

"Did you just hear a voice Tristan?" Joey asked, looking around.

"I think so, you mean besides yours?" Tristan asked, looking around as well.

Tea refrained from pulling their throats out. "I'm just trying to carry on a civilized conversation here, would you two mind cooperating?"

"Okay, okay. We get it. We can be civil; we're still peeved about what you said to us, and we haven't forgiven you yet, but maybe we can talk like normal people." Tristan said. "Isn't that right, Joey?" he finished, elbowing him.

"Yeah, what Tristan said." Joey said, nodding.

"Well, just so you know, I haven't gotten over what you two told me nor have I forgiven either of you."

"Well good, now that that's out of the way..." but Duke never did finish his sentence. His line of thought trailed off as Yugi came back downstairs.

Yugi cleared his throat. "Guys, I think there is someone that you'd like to meet." He said, disappearing again to pull someone clad in a black sleeveless shirt, black leather pants, adorned with the occasional buckle and chain. The most peculiar thing about him was the all-too-familiar spiked hair and bangs.

"Say hello," Yugi said, going behind Yami and pushing him forward.

"Hello." the taller figure said. The way he said 'hello' seemed to strike a flashback in Tea. She recalled the day Yugi asked her to help out the Spirit of the Millenium Puzzle and when he threw a hissy fit when Yugi switched with him, fussing at the puzzle because it wasn't a duel.

_It couldn't be...could it?_ She thought.

"No way...no freaking way..."

**Well well well...who could it be, who could it be? Yall probably got a good idea, but I'm gonna stop it here just to drive you wonderful readers crazy! Anyways, hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Elfbrat18**


	3. Fists of Rage

**Hey yall, Elfbrat18 here. I just want to say that I now have a partner in crime (it's a crime for me to write these, lol). So say hello to Whistler. She doesn't have an account on but she's willing to help co-write a lot of the fics I'm working on at the moment. Whistler's gonna pop in from time to time and take over, so don't get upset if the writing style is different. Anyway, enjoy!**

"No way...no freaking way..." Tea said.

"What are you talking about?" Grandpa Mutou asked, completely clueless about what was going on.

Yugi decided that since no one was going to say anything, he might as well explain. "You remember the Pharoah? Well, here he is! He has his own body now!"

"Cool, Yug's no longer psycho!" Joey piped up. Tristan punched him in the arm, muttering something that sounded like, "You and your big mouth..."

Tea moved over to Yami's side. "That's great that you have your own body. Now let's just hope that you two aren't mistaken for brothers."

"I have a feeling that that will be hard to avoid, Tea," Grandpa Mutou said.

"Now it's even better! I have two grandsons to help me with the shop!" Fortunately, his back was turned and he didn't see the exasperated faces of Yugi and Yami.

"But what do we call you? People would be looking at us strange if we called you Pharaoh in public." Duke asked.

"Call me Yami, that's what Yugi and Tea call me by. Isis referred to me by the name back before Battle City."

"Yami! Why didn't you say so in the first place!" Joey and Tristan nearly shouted.

"Because you never asked."

"Alright everyone, let's move the party upstairs and out of the shop. Not everyone graduated from high school today and I still have customers to sell cards and things to." Grandpa Mutou chuckled, ushering the teens upstairs.

* * *

Grandpa Mutou came back upstairs a short time later. "Yugi, there's something you need to know," he half-said/half-shouted over the music.

Yugi dove for the volume on the stereo. "Sorry, Grandpa. Are we being too loud?"

"No, no, not at all. I just came to tell you that you have a visitor. They'll be up in a second." He said, then turned and went back down to his shop.

"I wonder what that was about." Duek muttered to Yugi.

"Who cares? Let's crank up the music Yug!" Joey said, turning the volume up again.

The music continued to play, the upbeat notes floating to Tea's ears resulting in her body swaying back and forth to the beat. On instinct she glided across the room, oblivious to everyone staring at her. For years she had dreamed of a career in dancing, and everyday she came one step closer to her goal. But her rythmical reverie was cut short when she heard clapping coming from the doorway. She stopped in mid-step, opened her eyes and found...

"Koga." She barely whispered.

Her gaze left from said boyfriend to Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Duke. Joey and Tristan pulled a face that shown they were none too pleased with his mere presence. Duke just took a sip from his drink and looked the other way. Yami went stock-still, his face showing something beyond that of rage and disgust that Tea couldn't place, and frankly, she beacme a little worried. Yugi looked frustrated, like he was debating on what she told him earlier and whether or not he should say something. Tea hoped that he wouldn't, but with Yugi you never know, and that made her more nervous.

"Looks like the party already started. How come I've never seen you dance?" Koga asked, strolling up to her and kissing her cheek. Tea could have sworn she heard the sound of teeth grinding from behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Tea asked. It was more of a statement then a question.

Koga wrapped a possessive arm around Tea's waist, carefuly eyeing each of the guys in the room. "I went over to your house, but your mom told me that you came over here shortly after you got home. I met up with Mr. Mutou outside of his shop and he let me in when I told him that I was your boyfriend. But then he kind of looked at me wierd. Personnally," he said just above a whisper, "I think the old man has gone senile."

A nerve snapped in Tea and she jerked away from his grasp. "Grandpa Mutou is a good friend of mine, so don't go saying anything like that again!" she snapped.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll take it back." he apologized. Then he noticed Yami. "Say, your name's Yami, right?" he asked, walking over towards him.

"Yes." he said dryly.

"How come I've never seen you around at school? What are you? Some sort of dropout?"

"You'd better watch it Koga." Joey said.

"No, it's alright Joey." Yami interrupted. "He wants to know. For your information, I am attending college at the time, working part-time for Grandpa Mutou, and finding the the time to take part in Duelist tournaments. Does that satisfy you?" he asked.

"Somewhat." Koga sneered. "But something still puzzles me. Why in the hell would Tea want to hang around with people like you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Duke challenged.

"Oh I think you know full well what I mean, Dungeon Dork Monster."

"Then elaborate. I wanna make sure that we're on the same page." Duke said, his blood was boiling now.

"Alright. Duke: you created a game that looks like little giga pets gone wrong mixed with chess. And what the hell is up with the dice! You look like you work at a casino. Joey: you're the physical shadow of Yugi. Tristan: what are you, some kind of cheerleader! You're always joined at the hip with Wheeler, and that's starting to make me wonder. Yugi: little dude, you need to find a life. Living with your gramps above his game shop and rivaling Seto Kaiba! Come on now, there has to be something going on for you besides that stupid card game. And Yami: you look like some biker-wanabe with all the black and chains. Get a new wardrobe, and a new hairstyle too. It's bad enough Yugi's hair looks like that, why do the same?"

After Koga shut his mouth the room became eerily silent. Tea was too afraid and too pissed off to speak, and she silently hoped that the guys wouldn't start something. Anyways, how could Koga be so mean to her friends! He had some nerve, she'd give him that.

"I think you had better leave." Yami finally said. Tea felt a chill run up her spine at the coldness in his voice. She hadn't heard him talk like that since the duel on the train with Weevil Underwood.

"I agree." Joey said.

"Me too." Tristan said.

"I think so too. Now how shall it be handled, the easy way or the hard way?" Duke said.

Koga cracked a miniscule smile at them. "We can do it the easy way. Come on Tea." he said, turning and heading to the door.

When Tea wasn't at his side, he turned to find that she hadn't moved. "Tea! Come! Let's go!" This time he was more demanding.

"Why?" she simply asked.

"Because I said so." He said, walking up to her and grabbing her forcefully by the arm. "I thought we were going on a date tonight?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Maybe I wanted to hang out with my friends. Is that a crime officer?" she mocked.

Koga abruptly turned around and gripped her shoulders. "Officer, eh? That gives me an idea..." he said huskily and loud enough for everyone to hear.

A nerve in Yugi exploded and he decided that it was time to step in. "Why don't you give it up, Koga? Tea's not going to do that with you! She never planned on it!"

Koga's gaze shot back from Yugi to Tea and everything clicked. Why they were huddled together at the table before graduation, why they whispered. Yugi knew. "I don't believe you!" he roared, shaking Tea violently. Then Koga did something that no one expected, not even Koga himself.

WHAM! The back of Koga's left hand connected with the right side of Tea's face, leaving a pretty nasty scratch from the class ring. Luckily for Tea, her years of dance classes left her leg muscles strong, and she was able to balance herself to keep from falling. The whole room was silent, and no one knew what would happen. Then Koga did the unthinkable. He apologized.

"Tea...Tea, baby...I...I don't know what happened. I'm so sorry. Something just came over me and I couldn't stop it. Please, come with me and I'll take care of that scratch." he said, his voice was losing the battle to sound sincere, though.

"No." she finally said, not even lifting her head.

"What?" he asked, bewildered.

"I...I thought you...loved me..." She said, trying to keep the tears from falling. "And then you go and bad-mouth my friends. Not only that, but you try to pull me away from the fun that I was having with them, and then you...you...how could you?" Tea had trouble finishing the sentence, her voice was breaking.

Koga sighed and shrugged his arms. "See...I kind of have this thing that I say things that I don't really mean..."

"So you're saying that..."

"Love is just a word...it doesn't mean anything. Look Tea, this charade has been a lot of fun, but I think that it's time to cut it off. There's a new girl that I've just started seeing, and it gets complicated when you have to juggle two call girls at once, so..." but Koga never did finish that sentence.

BAM! Koga flew across the room and slammed against the door with a resounding THUD! The evidence of a shiner was already visible under his left eye, and his cheek was incredibly red. But who threw the punch? Tea wondered as she looked from Koga lying on the floor to see Yami. Wait. YAMI!

"What...the...fuck...is...the...matter...with...you...!" Koga managed to spit out, along with a few teeth and some blood. As he made his way to stand, Joey, Duke and Tristan hoisted him up roughly and were about to dispose of him but Yami stopped them.

"I have a few words for Koga." He said, then his calm face went cold as he looked down at the slumped figure. "Tea is not a prize that you can flaunt around. No woman is a man's prize; they are a treasure that should be cherished and protected, taken care of and nurtured. I've known Tea a lot longer than you have, and I know that she takes relationships seriously. She thought that you actually cared for her, but instead you only want one thing; the one thing that you want from all women. Tea is not a 'call girl' as you so wrongfully dubbed her; she would never succumb to something of that nature, and especially not with someone as low as you. I could care less about what you think of me or anyone else in this room, but what you did to Tea is unforgivable. So you better watch your back; I make it a point to go through with my threats, and just now was only a warning of what I'll do to you if you come near Tea again. And then you'll have to deal with Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Duke. Get him out of here."

Joey, Tristan, and Duke left with a bruised and bloody Koga, explaining to Grandpa Mutou what happened, leaving Yugi and Yami to help Tea pick up the broken pieces of her heart.

**Whistler: Whoa...O.O...Yami really punched the snot outta that guy...**

**Elfbrat18: Yeah I know! Go Yami! Koga shoulda seen it comin'!**

**Whistler: (grabs pompoms and begins to madly dance around the room) Go Yami! Go Yami! It's your birthday!**

**Elfbrat18: So now you've met, or shall I say encountered, the insanity called Whistler. If you think I'm crazy, she's a few short of needing a tranquilizer shot. (watches Whistler bounce about the room, then grabs a mallet out of nowhere) It's for her own good folks...now while I restrain the looneytoon, why don't you review? Please? I won't konk her if you do.**


	4. The Mistake

**Well, I've restrained Whistler. She's now sleeping peacefuly. But I fear that she'll wake up before I get the next chapter done. Alright, this one's shorter, but that doesn't mean it ain't good!**

After the explosion of words, and fists for that matter, that went on minutes before, the place was pretty much silent. Grandpa Mutou came in to check on Tea and he sent Yugi to the pharmacy to pick up some antibiotics for the scracth on Tea's cheek, leaving Yami alone with her to help her recover. Yugi's grandpa also said that Joey said that he, Tristan, and Duke probably weren't going to be back anytime soon, saying that they had "some unfinished business to attend to."

Tea sat on the couch, shaking slightly from the previous events as Yami left to get some things to clean the scratch with. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Koga slapped her, cut her in the process, and broke up with her because she wouldn't give him what he wanted. What's more, Yami had col-cocked him into next week. She figured that anyone but Yami would have snapped first.

Said Pharaoh came back into the room with a small bowl of water, a bottle of peroxode, a cloth and a box of bandages. He set the items down in the table and sat down beside Tea. He noticed that when he took her hand, she visibly twitched.

"Tea, it's alright. You should know that I would never do anything to hurt you." He said calmly.

She looked up into his eyes. "I know, but I'm still jumpy. Sorry."

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Of course I did. I didn't listen to my friends and I went out with one of the worst guys in school. Because of my stubborness I turned Joey and Tristan against me. Now they'll probably tell me, 'I told ya so' and 'why didn't you listen?"

"Yes...they probably will, but right now they won't. Yugi just called and said that he's going to be late because he ran into them on the street and he's trying to stop them from killing Koga. Personally I would have just beat him into the ground, but-"

Tea stopped him in mid sentence as he began to dab at the scratch with the wet cloth. "That's just it. Why did you clock him of all people?" She asked, wincing at the sting of the cool cloth against the raw skin, blood staining the white fabric.

Yami looked into her hurt eyes. Why had he done that? Because she was his friend, of course, but was there something more to it? His mind quickly recalled the first time he had come in contact with Koga, and how he had told Tea that he loved her. He felt a pang of something shoot through his heart. Jealousy? Rage especially when he slapped her. But jealousy? Was he jealous? He shook off the memory and continued to clean the cut.

"Because..." and he paused.

"Because..." she began.

"Because...I care about you Tea, and I don't want to see you hurt. You're a close friend of mine and it makes me mad to see you upset over what Koga did to you. You deserve so much better than him. Koga just didn's see the beautiful treasure in front of him because his mind was clouded over with lust. I would forget about him, Tea. He isn't worth shedding tears over," he finished, wiping a tear that fell down her cheek.

"I'm not crying because of Koga, Yami," she muttered.

Yami was puzzled. "Then why are you crying?"

"Because of what you said, Yami. That was the nicest and sweetest thing anyone has ever said or done for me. Thank you." she said sheepishly, sliding closer to Yami.

Of course Yami still didn't understand, and he was about to ask her why she was crying if she was happy when she pressed her lips to his. It was a simple kiss, just the brushing of lips, and as Yami's mind finally comprehended what she did, Tea pulled away. Only this time, she didn't look happy.

"Yami, I'm sorry, I-" she stuttered and trailed off. She couldn't believe that she had kissed Yami. What was she thinking?

The Pharaoh looked at Tea with confusion evident in his eyes. Why did Tea kiss him? What's more, why did he like it? Tea was a friend of his, he wasn't supposed to do that. "Tea...why?" was all he could get out. His lips were still in shock.

Tea didn't give an answer but she stood and grabbed her jacket and began to head for the door. Yami went to stop her, to ask her why she did what she did, but she was too quick for him and was out the door before he could blink.

* * *

When Yugi reached the steps of the game shop, his grandpa had told him that Tea had left abruptly not too long ago. Yami was leaning on the counter when Yugi came in with the antibiotics.

"What happened Yami? Grandpa just told me that Tea left."

"That's just it! I don't know! I've been thinking about it for thirty minutes!" He sighed, frustrated.

"Well tell me what happened."

"Okay. After you left, I went to get some stuff to clean Tea's scrape. When I came back, Tea started to apologize for acting the way she did, blaming herself for everyone getting mad... She asked me why I clocked Koga, so I told her that I did it because I cared about her and that she was a good friend and then I told her that she deserved better than Koga, that he was too stupid to see the beauty before him and that she shouldn't cry because of him. Then she said that that was the sweetest and nicest thing that I had ever said and done for her, and I still can't figure out why she was crying if she was happy, and then..."

"Then?"

"She kissed me."

"WHAT!" Yugi shouted, the sudden outburst causing Yami to nearly fall off the stool he was sitting on.

"What?"

"What do you mean she kissed you!" Yugi asked surprised.

"Exactly what I said! Then she got up and left, upset I might add, and i don't know why! It didn't last long! Yugi, what did I do?"

Yugi was silent, thinking about everything that Yami had told him.

"Did you like it?" he asked finally.

"What?"

"Did you like the kiss? It's a simple question."

"Yes! I mean no! I don't know! I liked it, but I shouldn't have because Tea's a friend of mine and I'm not supposed to think about her like that. What's wrong with me?"

"It sounds like you like her more than a friend. But what doesn't make sense is why Tea would leave upset...unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless she thinks that the feelings she has aren't true. Tea just suffered a bad breakup,. and she goes and kisses you. Thinking that kissing you is pushing her luck and moving too fast, she left to sort out her feelings. She doesn't think that you felt anything from the kiss, and she must think that what she felt was wrong."

"So that's why she left?" Yami asked at last.

Yugi banged his head on the glass counter. "What I'm saying is just let her be tonight. Give Tea some room to think about everything and try to talk to her tomorrow. I'm gonna go drop these antibiotics off at her house. I'm not going to talk to her, I probably won't even see her. But you need to think about all of this stuff too." Yugi said, turning to the door.

"Oh, and one more thing, Yami."

"Yes?"

"Nice shot. You really clocked him." Yugi gave him a thumbs up leaving Yami laughing as he left the game shop.

**Well? Well? Whudya think? Tell me! Review! I live for criticism!**


	5. Cinderella

**This was all Whistler's idea! I swear it! She's the one that wrote this, not me!**

**Whistler: Hey, what's that mean?**

**Elfbrat: I'm just giving you credit is all. You did write this chapter all by yourself.**

**Whistler: And I owe it all to...(grabs a box of...) Chocolate Lucky Charms! These things are sooo good! If you ain't tried them already, you really need to! HeycanIdothenextchapterElfbrat?IreallyreallywanttobuttheseLuckyCharmsaretoogoodtoputdown...(continues to mindlessly ramble)**

**Elfbrat: Yeah...okay, no more Lucky Charms for you. She's not kidding when she said that she owes it to her Chocolate Lucky Charms. Whistler was up until 4:30 this morning finishing this chapter her sugar rush was so bad. (grabs a handful of cereal) Hey, these aren't bad...oh and before I forget, it was also her idea to put the song lyrics in, so don't go ape on me if you figure out who sings the song.**

Yugi checked his watch and seen that it was close to 7:30, and he figured that Tea must have been home by now. He picked up the pace when he rounded the corner that led to her house, stopping at the end of the driveway to catch his breath. With the bag in hand he walked slowly up to the door and paused before knocking.

Tea's mom answered the door. "Well hello there, Yugi. What brings you here today?" she asked with a smile.

"Actually, I'm here to drop off some antibiotics I got at the pharmacy for Tea's cut." Yugi replied, holding up the bag.

Tea's mom looked at the bag and then back at Yugi. "Why don't you come in for a minute? There's a few things I want cleared up."

* * *

"So that's what happened. Oh my poor girl. I can't believe what I'm hearing; I mean I always thought that Koga was such a nice boy. And he slapped her! Argh, no man is supposed to hit a woman; it's just wrong!" Tea's mom said, squeezing the stress ball in her hand so hard that Yugi thought the sand would burst from it anytime soon. 

"Yeah, but Yami wouldn't stand for it. Should have seen him, Ms. Gardner, he sent Koga flying across the room!"

She released the stress ball and leaned forward slightly. "So tell me about this Yami. He really punched Koga? He stood up for my baby girl?"

"Mm-hm," Yugi nodded, "Joey said that he was starting to show signs of a really nice shiner as they got him out of there. Knocked out a few teeth and some blood too. Then he went on about how she deserves so much better than him and all women are meant to be treasured and not flaunted like prizes; stuff like that."

"How sweet! I hope she thanked him. This Yami sounds like a real gentleman. Is it possible that I can meet him? I'd like to have a word with him."

"Sure. I think he was plannning on coming over to see Tea tomorrow. I'll ask him when I get back tonight. Uh, speaking of Tea, is she here?"

Tea's mom nodded and pointed in the direction of her room. "I just got home not too long ago, and when I went by her room, I heard crying. When I went to ask her what was wrong, she just said it was no big deal and that she'd tell me later when she was able to calm down. Yugi, I hope she's going to be alright."

Yugi stood up. "I hope so too, Ms. Gardner. But I won't be much longer, I'm just going to give Tea this medicine and I'll be going. It's getting late anyway."

"Alright. Oh, could you tell Tea that I had to run to the grocery store? I have to get some another gallon of milk and some frosting."

"Sure thing." Yugi said, walking towards Tea's room.

* * *

Yugi knocked for five minutes before Tea finally opened the door. The radio was playing the most depressing songs Yugi had ever heard. When he finally saw Tea, he felt like crying too. 

She was wearing sweatpants and an old baggy T-Shirt that had a faded picture of Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts on it. Her feet were bare and her face was red and tear-streaked from crying. Her eyes were the worst; red and slightly puffy. She continuously wiped at her nose with a handkerchief with one hand and the other held a pint of ice cream that was beginning to melt. Putting it bluntly Tea was a mess. The very stereotype of a girl getting over a bad breakup. Minus the scratch under her eye.

"Yugi...what are you doing here?" she sniffled.

He handed the bag to her. "I can't stay long, but I wanted to say a few things to you."

"Okay." she said, opening the bag to see its contents. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"I wanna talk about what happened between you and Yami. Oh, those are the antibiotics. Anyway, Yami's just as confused as you are. He wants to talk to you about this soon. I told him to let you calm down and wait a while."

"Yeah...thanks for the medicine. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure why I did it either. I don't know, maybe it was because he said all of those nice things for me. No one's ever stood up for me like that before."

"Well, whatever the reason, maybe it's time for a change. We could all do with a change after going to school all these years. I might wait on college for a while; I want to figure out what it is I want to do with my life." Yugi said shrugging.

Tea thougt for a minute. "I think a change would do me some good. Thanks for the advice, Yugi."

"Sure thing, Tea. Oh, one more thing before I go. Your mom said that she had to go to the store to get some milk and frosting."

"Alright. Hey Yugi, could you do me a favor? Tell Yami that I said thank you for what he did for me. I never got the chance to tell him."

"Of course, I'll talk to you later Tea!"

"Okay Yugi! Thanks again!" Tea said from her doorway. She just hoped the decision she made was the right one.

* * *

Yugi entered the game shop to find Yami still behind the counter, only he was amusing himself with Yugi's Gameboy Advance. He was playing some Mario game and didn't hear Yugi walk up to the counter. It wasn't until the sound of Mario reaching the castle that Yami looked up to find Yugi staring at him grinning. 

"Having fun?"

"Yes. I'm on going on to World 8 in a minute. Why do you ask?"

"I just got back from Tea's house. I dropped off the medicine. Yami, she looks awful. She's been crying nonstop and moping around, but I talked to her for a few minutes before I left. All I said was that we all needed a change of pace. I think she took it to heart, so maybe she won't be depressed for much longer."

"That's good. Anythig else?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact, Tea's mom would like to meet you. I talked to her before I talked to Tea, and she said that she wanted to talk to you." Yugi said, heading towards the stairs. "Oh, one more thing, Yami."

"Yes?"

"On all of the World 8 levels, there's no halfway point; so if you die, you start back at the beginning."

"Now you tell me." the Pharaoh mumbled.

"Night Yami." Yugi sighed, going upstairs.

* * *

"Tea!" Ms. Gardner called from the kitchen. "Honey, I'm back from the store!" 

Tea emereged from her bedroom still in the same T-shirt and pants. "Hey mom." she sighed, hugging her.

"What's on your mind?" her mom asked.

"Yeah...but it's not what you think. Yugi told me that you two talked, so I imagine that you know what's happened. Yugi said before he left that he thinks that we all need a change. I think I'm going to take his advice."

Her mom opened up a drink. "That's great honey. What have you decided on doing?"

"I'm not sure."

"What?"

"I'm not sure. That's why I want to get out of here for the summer, find myself. Maybe find a way to work towards my dream of becoming a dancer." She said, swinging her arms back and forth.

Her mom was stunned. "Okay. My question now is, how, where, and when?"

"I was thinking maybe Florida. I want to leave as soon as I can. Though money might be a problem."

Tea watched as her mom took everything in. She was worried that she would say no. It made her feel like the request was a flop when her mom got up and hugged her.

"Tea...you're my little girl...you know I love you, but this is a big step. Are you sure?"

"Yes..." she said finally, nodding.

"Then how can I say...no. You're old enough to make your own decisions now, and I won't stop you. I'll help you in any way that I can, I want you to know that. So what are you waiting for? Go pack some things and meet me back down here when you're done."

Tea hugged her mom once more before she ran back to her room. Grabbing two duffel bags, she hastily threw in enough clothes to get her through a week at the most. She decided that once she found a place to get settled in, she would buy some more clothes. She tossed in the personal items no girl should go without, among them the most important if a girl goes anywhere near a beach, her bathing suit. She also packed a carry on bag that consisted of her portable CD player and case of her favorite CDs, a few of her favorite manga, a notebook, pen, her cell phone, things like that. As she was taking one last look around her room, she noticed her photo album laying on her desk. She picked it up and placed in the carry on bag. Tea sighed, feeling a little sad about leaving, but at the moment she felt it was best if she got out of there. After all, she would be back in the fall, so it wasn't like she was leaving forever.

When Tea met her mom in the kitchen, she could tell that her mom wanted to cry. She wanted to cry too.

Looking at her watch, Ms. Gardner said, "Well, it's 8:20. Might be best if you get to the airport early so you can check the times and get a ticket. Here's everything you'll need: your ID, passport, money. I'm not sure how much plane tickets are running, but I managed to get a rough estimate from a friend. You have your cell phone, right? Okay, call me and let me know when you're leaving and when you're landing. If the plane doesn't leave until really late, come back home and wait. You should have enough money for a hotel room as well until you find a suitable place to stay. Do you want me to come with you?"

"I...I don't know. It's hard enough right now for me standing here. But I can't turn back now. I have to try to do this on my own."

"You're right. You should take responsibility. You're all grown up now..." her mom trailed off, the tears finally falling.

Tea was swept up in her moms arms, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling either. "I'm gonna miss you, Mom."

"I'll miss you too, Tea. Call me every day?"

"And email every weekend. I'll send pictures too if I can."

"You don't have to do that, I'm only kidding. But it would be nice to hear how you're doing every so often."

"Don't worry, you'll hear from me. I guess I'd better get going." she said, pulling the straps of the bags over her shoulders. Her mom handed her a big brown paper bag.

"It's a couple of your favorite sandwiches. There's some chips and homemade cookies in there too, along with a couple of apples and some of that Capri Sun stuff you like to drink. I also put in a container with a couple graduation cupcakes I made you. You know, just in case you get hungry." she said with a warm smile.

Tea put the bag in on top of the stuff in her carry on. "Thank you, Mom, that means a lot."

She hugged her mother once more before she walked out the door. As Tea reached the end of the driveway, she waved once more before heading down the street.

* * *

Tea checked her watch. It was nearly 10 o'clock and she wasn't at the airport yet. She sighed, thinking that it would have been easier to just get a cab. But as she made to cross tht road, she failed to hear the blowing of a horn or the squeal of tires until it was too late...

* * *

Yugi turned in bed and looked at his clock. 

"Man, it's almost 10! Why can't I fall asleep!" he muttered as he got up to get something to drink.

Apparently Yami couldn't sleep either. He was sitting up with Grandpa Mutou watching the late night talk shows when Yugi walked in.

"Can't sleep either?" he asked Yami.

"No...it's strange. I have this bad feeling that something is wrong."

"What do you mean?" Grandpa asked.

"Come to think of it, when I was talking to Tea today, she had this far off look in her eyes when I was talking about us needing a change."

Yami and Yugi's thoughts seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Grandpa, we gotta go to Tea's house real quick!"

"Why?" he asked bewildered as they grabbed their coats.

"Can't explain it, but I have a hunch..." was all Yugi said.

* * *

The sound of brakes squealing and Tea screaming could be heard throughout the area. No one else was around to witness the scene. As Tea opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of shining headlights and the driver side door of a blue Miada open. 

"Oh my god, are you alright? I am so sorry! I wasn't paying attention and before I knew it I saw you in the road." The figure apologized quickly.

Tea did a quick check to make sure that she was okay before she looked up at the figure before her. It was a woman, maybe a couple inches taller than herself, and she had very light blond hair and piercing green eyes. She wore a denim jacket over a white shirt and black pants. Pale toes peeked out from intricately laced black sandals.

"I'm alright." Tea said finally, "And don't worry about it, I wasn't paying attention either. I should have been looking where I was going?"

"What's your name? You look familiar to me." The blond asked, walking up to Tea.

"Tea. Tea Gardner."

"You're Tea! You must be one of Rebecca's friends! I'm Willow, Rebecca's cousin." she said, holding out her hand.

Tea shook it. "You're talking about Rebecca Hawkins, right? How's she doing? I haven't seen her in a while."

"She doing fine. Grandpa and her are in Florida this summer. He's got a project going on that has to do with the lost city of Atlantis, or something like that. Hey, can I give you a ride somewhere? With all those bags, you look like you could use some help."

"If it's not too much trouble..." Tea said nervously.

"Of course not. Any friend of my cousin is a friend of mine. Now tell me where I can take you to." Willow said with a wave of her hand.

"The airport."

"The airport?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way to the airport to see about getting a plane ticket to Florida, actually."

"Really? So am I!" Willow said excitedly, reaching in her pocket and pulling out two plane tickets. "See, a person I used to work with was going to fly out to Florida with me, but they cancled on me at last minute. Huh, seems like this was destined to happen," she laughed. "Anyways, the plane takes off at 1:20. You're more than welcome to come with me. I'm staying with Rebecca at Grandpa's beach house, and I'm sure Rebecca would love for you to stay. It would definitely beat staying in a hotel."

Tea shifted the duffel bags on her shoulders. "That sounds great, Willow. Thanks." she said as Willow took the bags and placed them in the backseat. "You know," Tea began as they climbed in the car, "this may sound strange, but I'm glad that you nearly run over me."

Willow started laughing. "Doesn't sound all that strange to me!" she said, starting the engine and speeding off down the street.

* * *

Ms. Gardner was about ready to go to bed when she had to rush to the door due to persistent knocking. When she answered the door, she was surprised to find Yugi and someone else that looked similar to Yugi, only he was taller. 

"Yugi...it's almost 12:30. What are you doing up so late?" she asked.

"I couldn't sleep to be honest, Ms. Gardner. Something kept nagging at my thoughts. Has something happened to Tea since I was last here?" Yugi asked nervously.

Ms. Gardner looked at them with sad eyes, something that made Yugi nervous. She didn't say anything, but she stepped out of the way and motioned for them to come in and sit down.

When they were seated, Yugi introduced Yami to Ms. Gardner. "So you are Yami...hm, it's so nice to finally meet you. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate what you did for Tea. Not many men are that well-mannered nowadays, and it's wonderful to know that Tea has such good friends that would stand up for her like you do."

Yami nodded off the compliments, but instead asked, "Is something wrong with Tea? Yugi and I have a bad feeling that something has."

Ms. Gardner sighed and fiddled with her hands before she spoke. "Tea isn't here right now. She's on her way to the airport."

"What!" Yugi cried, "Why would she be going there of all places!"

"She said that you said something about getting a fresh start and she decided that she was going to spend a good bit of her summer in Florida. Tea thought it would be for the best."

"How can she do this!" Yugi continued. "What is Tea thinking?"

Ms. Gardner sighed and shook her head. "I just don't know. But I think she said there was a letter left in her room for you guys. Feel free to go get it if you w-" but she never finished the sentence because Yugi and Yami had taken off to Tea's room to find the letter.

* * *

"I found it!" Yugi said, holding up the envelope for Yami to see before opening it. 

"Well, what does it say?" Yami asked eagerly, wanting to know why Tea would leave so abruptly.

Yugi was silent for a minute, but he began to read it out loud. "Dear, Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Duke: I want to apologize for everything that I have done in the past months...ever since the whole ordeal with Koga started. I realize now what a huge mistake it was for me to think that he even cared, and I had to learn it the hard way. I turned my friends against me because of my foolishness, and for that I am sorry. So sorry that I can not even express it in words. But by now you have found this letter, and you must be wondering why I am not around. I have decided to get a fresh start, to clear my head, and I'm going to start by leaving the place that has placed such troubles on me. But don't worry, I'll be back in the fall. Maybe by then everyone will be past this, and we can start over again. Yes, this is sudden, but this was my choice. Please do not try to find me. I'll come back on my own when I'm good and ready. I love you all like family. -Tea."

Yugi folded the letter and placed it in his back pocket. "We have to stop her Yami."

"That won't be possible, at least not now." Ms. Gardner told them from Tea's doorway. "Tea just called me and told me that the plane takes off at 1:20. It's a quarter to one now; it would be impossible to make it."

"We've still got to try." Yugi said. Yami noticed a piece of paper on the ground that Yugi must have dropped. "What's that Yami?"

"I'm not sure." he said, looking it over and handing it to Yugi.

"It looks like something that went with Tea's letter. Hang on, there's some more at the bottom. P.S. This is just something I found that expresses what I'm feeling as I write this letter."

* * *

By some coincidence, the words that Tea wrote in her letter came drifting back to her as Willow continued to drive down the street, getting closer and closer to the airport as the seconds ticked away. 

_I used to be your girlfriend and I know I did it well__  
Oh yes, you know it's true  
You called me Cinderella, all you had to do was yell  
And I'd be there for you_

Images of Koga treating her like a princess flashed through her mind. But she didn't shed tears-crying over someone not worth crying over is pointless. She pushed the thoughts aside and tried to figure out what she was going to tell Rebecca and Professor Hawkins when she all of a sudden showed up in Florida with Willow.

_Here I am, so try to forgive me  
I don't believe in fairytales  
Here we are with nothing but honesty  
I've had enough, I'm not gonna stay_

Yugi and Yami said their goodbyes to Ms. Gardner as they rushed out the door. She just sighed and watched them go, trying to beat time in order to get to Tea.

_I'm sorry for running away like this  
And I'm sorry I've already made my wish  
Aah, (but Cinderella's got to go)_

Yami was baffled at what Tea left in the letter. How could she do this? What is she thinking? Is it because of me? These and other thougths were plaguing his mind as he and Yugi rand down the deserted streets, among the darkness their only source of light being the streetlights and the cresent moon overhead.

_From time to time I tried to tell just what was on my mind  
You told me not today  
Come back, do that, where's Cinderella at  
Was all you had to say_

Tea recalled the shouting fit she had with Duke, Joey, and Tristan more that four months ago. God, how she wished she could take it all back in a heartbeat.

Here I am, so try to forgive me  
I don't believe in fairytales  
Here we are with nothing but honesty  
I've had enough, I'm not gonna stay

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The past was over. She couldn't take back what was done, she could only get over it and move on. What she was doing was right, wasn't it? Her mind was starting to doubt her actions. No, that shouldn't happen, Tea thought. She knew that she was doing the right thing by getting away, but a small part of her felt that the guilt of not saying goodbye to her friends was going to linger. If that's the case, this is going to be one long summer, Tea thought.

I'm sorry for running away like this  
And I'm sorry I've already made my wish  
Aah, (but Cinderella's got to go)  
I'm sorry, just trying to live my life  
Don't worry, you're gonna be alright  
But Cinderella's got to go

Tea hoped that the guys would understand. If not when they read the letter, then in the future. She wanted them to understand that she isn't as fragile as she may appear to be; and that she can bounce back from a broken heart.

Yugi and Yami continued up the streets, and it wasn't much longer before they reached the airport. Now the hard part was figuring out where the flight to Florida would be boarding. And at one o'clock in the morning, it's hard to find anyone that works the graveyard shift to be helpful and in a somewhat good mood.

The Pharaoh's mind still replayed everything that had happened between Tea and himself since the day he met her. The memories, plus what Yugi asked him, and the sudden up and leaving on Tea's part, made Yami wonder if what Yugi said might be true. But then the next few lines on the second page made him second guess himself.

_I used to say I want you  
You cast me in your spell  
I did everything you wanted me to  
But now I shall break free from all your lies  
I won't be blind you see  
My love, it can't be sacrificed  
I won't return to thee_

Willow and Tea were now passing through security and were soon after preparing to board the plane. But Tea stopped and looked around the airport. This was it. She was about to leave Japan and head to America. It wasn't like this was her first time going to America, but it was the first time she was going with a feeling of guilt in her heart.

_I'm so sorry  
I've already made up my mind  
I won't return to thee _

I'm sorry to say, I'm running away now  
Don't worry, you will be all right

"Tea?" Willow's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Willow asked.

"No...I'm ready."

Once Yugi had finally found someone that was able to tell him when the flight to Florida was leaving, she apologized and said that they were preparing the plane for takeoff as she spoke. Yugi grabbed Yami by the arm and they made it to the windows to see the planes begin to move down the runway.

"We're too late..." Yugi sighed. "Goodbye Tea..."

_I'm running away, I've made up my mind  
You're gonna have to let me go  
(She's got to go)_

Tea felt a pang in her chest as she was fastening her seatbelt.

"Something the matter, Tea?" Willow asked.

"No...nothing. Maybe it's just heartburn."

"Okay, well I'll see if I can get us something to drink after we take off." Willow said, looking back up and down the aisle at all of the half-asleep passengers they were flying with.

_I'm sorry for running away like this  
And I'm sorry I've already made my wish  
Aah, (but Cinderella's got to go)_

_  
_"I'm sorry you guys...I'll make it up to you...someday..." Tea whispered, looking out the window at the crew on the runway.

They were so close.

_I'm sorry, just trying to live my life  
Don't worry, you're gonna be alright  
But Cinderella's got to go_

Yugi felt like crying. One of his best friends just took off to another country without so much as a reliable reason, and there was nothing he could do.

"We tried, Yami...I guess we were just too late." he sighed.

Yami placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not quite." was all he said as he walked over to the service desk.

"Yes sir, how may I help you?" A short woman with dark brown curly hair said, trying to sound pleasant, but her lack of sleep was evident in the sound of her voice and the slight rings under her eyes.

The Pharaoh leaned forward on the counter. "Yes, I was wondering if I could get some information on the next flight bound for Florida?"

**Elfbrat: Wow, very emotional Whistler. That was pretty good.**

**Whistler: Yeah, you think so. Despite the sugar rush, Iwanted to cry. I could see this playing out like it were an episode on tv.**

**Elfbrat: Okay ppl, now it's your turn to let Whistler know what you think about the first chapter she's ever solo-written.**


	6. Jetlag, Pictures, and Spaghetti

**Elfbrat18: Wow, I'm surprised I even recieved reviews on this one.**

**Whistler: Whaddya mean?**

**Elfbrat18: I didn't think anyone would like it.**

**Whistler: I do!**

**Elfbrat18: That's because you've been helping write it. Ya know, this is one that I am definitely happy with. I mean I'm happy with all of the ones I have up, but I haven't had to change this one around much before I posted it.**

**Whistler: So what. dreamcloud516, thanks for the reviews! It was just a random thought that popped into Elfbrat18's head one day, so go figure. Oh yeah, please please please don't threaten us! LOL, it's cool, that might be the only thing that can get us motivated if we're having an off day. Thanks again for the review!**

**Elfbrat18: animeaddict99, wow. I feel so honored that you want to put me on your C2! What is that, anyway? 0.o; I haven't figured it out, yet. ; I'll be sure to check out your stories as well! Thanks for the review!**

Jetlag, Pictures, and Spaghetti

The plane bound for West Palm Beach, Florida arrived sometime between 6 and 7 am. Among its jet-lagged passengers were two teens, desperate to get to their resting place to make up for lack of sleep.

As Willow gathered their bags and hailed a taxi, Tea found a vacant payphone and called her mother. "Hey mom? You awake? We just arrived. Who? Her name's Willow, she's a cousin of Rebecca Hawkins. Yeah. We're going to be staying with Rebecca and her grandpa. Uh huh. He's here for the summer busy with a project concerning Atlantis. Well...Willow's helping load our bags into the taxi. Yeah, turns out the plane was bound for West Palm Beach. Willow said that they're in Miami, so we're gonna take a cab part of the way to Fort Luderdale and Professor Hewkins is going to pick us up from there. Uh huh, we've got enough. Willow had an extra plane ticket so that saved some money. What? Oh no. What did they say? I was afraid of that. So only they know? Did they get the letter? I see. Okay. They did what! Know what? A small part of me is glad that they didn't make it. It would have been so hard for me to tell them goodbye." Tea turned her head to see Willow flailing her arms about for her to hurry it up.

"Mom? I gotta go for now. Willow's telling me that the cab is ready to go. Okay. Alright. Love you too, Mom. Okay. Bye." she said finally, hanging up the phone. She took a deep breath and let it out. Her mother and friends were practically on the other side of the world, and she wouldn't see them agian until the fall.

"It's alright. I can do this." Tea told herself as she ran over to Willow. "I'll be fine on my own."

* * *

Some five hours later, Willow and Tea found themselves even more tired when they finally made it to Fort Lauderdale. Tea stared out the window as the cab zoomed through the city while Willow talked to Rebecca on her cell.

"Tea?"

"Huh?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah...just tired is all."

"I know what you mean." Willow sighed, slouching back in her seat. "Well I just got off the phone with Rebecca. Hey mister, our stop has changed. It's going to be a little further, I'm afraid."

The brown haired rocker-type driver just nodded and said, "That's fine. Just tell me where I can take you two ladies. You want to know something? You two have been two of the nicest people I've picked up."

"That's because we're tired," Willow mumbled. "But yeah, thanks for the compliment; there are some jerks out there."

"So where are we going?" Tea yawned.

"Oh right. Our stop is going to be at the Waffle House on Main Street, mister...uh..."

"Just call me Bo." the driver replied.

"Huh, that's funny, Bo." Willow laughed. "After riding with you for five hours we didn't even catch your name unitl just now."

* * *

The cab pulled into the Waffle House parking lot and pulled into the parking space next to what looked like either a black or dark green SUV where a pre-teen and an old man were waiting.

Bo got out and popped the trunk as Tea and Willow slowly made their way out, wincing at the numbness in their legs.

"Grandpa! Rebecca!" Willow said, half-happy and half-tired as she embraced her grandfather and cousin.

"My, how are you Willow? I haven't seen you for at least two years! And how are you, Tea? Willow didn't go into much detail in her call." Professor Hawkins said.

"It's a long story..." Tea sighed as she paid Bo, giving him a generous tip for his going out of the way. She just knew she would have to retell her story again.

* * *

"And that's what happened." Tea said, finally taking a breath as she retold the story.

Professor Hawkins nodded his head. "I see. Tea, you are free to stay with Rebecca and Willow at the beach house if you wish. There are plenty of rooms."

"Thanks. But aren't you going to be there, Professor?"

"Nope. It'll be just us girls," Rebecca piped in from the front seat. "Grandpa's going to be staying with the rest of his group as they continue to work on an Atlanits project for the museum."

* * *

It was getting close to sunset as the SUV pulled into the driveway of the beachouse. The house was made up of two floors. On the bottom floor was the living room that branched off from a hall to the right, the kitchen was to the left, a hall closet and bathroom. The hall led to double doors, that when opened, shown the large deck and a pool off to the side. Upstairs was the bedrooms, and one large bathroom. There were four bedrooms, all around the same size-pretty big-but only one had a somewhat large bathroom. Two rooms to the left, and two to the right.

"Tea, you can take that room." Rebecca said, referring to the one with the bathroom as she helped her bring in some of her bags and place them on the bed. "You're going to be staying here all summer, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Tea said, stretching her sore limbs.

"Then this can be your room each time you come out here. My room is the one directly across from this one and Willow's is beside mine. Make yourself at home here. If you need anything, just ask."

"Thanks Rebecca." Tea said to her retreating form.

"Hey Tea..." she heard Rebecca say as she stopped at the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. About everything."

Tea turned to face the window. "It's alright. I've put it behind me. Time to move on. I'm not gonna cry over him anymore."

"And Tea?"

"Hm?"

"What was it like when the Pharaoh kissed you?"

Tea felt the heat in her cheeks rise to an alarming temperature. "...it was nice..." she said at last.

"Nice!" Rebecca said, turning around to face Tea's backside. "Come on now! I can see you blushing from way over here! I'm not stupid, Tea. That kiss was more than 'nice' and you know it! Well, it's getting late. Willow's fixing some spaghetti for supper. She said it'll be done in maybe half an hour. I'll come get you when it's ready."

After Rebecca had left the room, Tea began to unpack her things. When she came to the photo album she had placed in her carry-on bag, she stopped and sat down.

As Tea opened the book, the memories came flooding back from each picture. I guess pictures really do tell a thousand words, Tea thought. It was then that she realized that she barely had any pictures of Yami.

"Yami..." Tea sighed. The way she said it was strained. She felt that she made a mistake in kissing Yami. What must he think of her now? Would they even be friends anymore? As she stared at the few pictures she did have of him, she regretted not taking the time to take more. I'll make everything up to him...someday, she thought as she heard Rebecca calling her from downstairs.

But at the moment, she was starving.

**Elfbrat18: Here comes the end of another chapter.**

**Whistler: But don't get down. Just click that little review button and tell us what you thought of it.**


	7. Sun, Sweat, and Paychecks

**Elfbrat18: Oh gosh, I hate to say this readers, but as I'm writing this it's...(checks watch)...already after 2 o'clock in the morning. (yawns)**

**Whistler: (yawns) Quit yawning.**

**Elfbrat18: Too bad. Anyway, what I was going to say was that this chapter will have to be cut short so I can get a few hours of sleep. If I can find time, I'll add an extra chapter just cause I love ya.**

**Whistler: You're forgetting something.**

**Elfbrat18: What? Oh...yeah. My monitor screwed up almost a week ago, and I'm borrowing my neighbors' so that I can get all of my stuff off. So that's going to make updating any of these fics harder...but that doesn't meant that I ain't gonna try to type some during the time I spend at my neighbors' doing some office help for them.**

**Whistler: Do you have any idea how long that's gonna take?**

**Elfbrat18: Lemme put it this way: I just bought about 20 floppy disks at Wal-Mart and I got about another 10 at home. What does that tell you?**

**Whistler: You ain't planning on sleeping much, are you?**

**Elfbrat18: Nope. But once I get a new laptop and get Internet access, I'll be able to update more frequently. I think my sugar rush has worn off...(pouts)...(starts laughing)**

**Whistler: What's so funny? Oh... If you want something funny to watch, rent or buy the Robin Williams: Live At Broadway dvd, but it's rated MA, though, but it's for a good reason...**

**Elfbrat18: (still laughing)**

**Whistler: (yawns) Ignore her. Lack of sleep does things to you. Oh and to animeaddict99, I decided to drop the rating to PG-13. I had a reason for it being rated R at first, but then the idea seemed to clash with the storyline. If at some point that I do decide to go with the idea, I'll post it somewhere else as a chapter on it's own. So youcan add it to your C2 if you want. Oh, and thanks for filling us in. I can figure out how to destroy a harddrive but be clueless about what a C2 is. That's right, people, I've deleted my harddrive. Wiped it clean off the map.**

Sun, Sweat, and Paychecks

Tea barely got to sleep that night. Granted her body craved rest, but her mind still lingered on about what her mother had told her earlier. She began to regret the decision that she made, and the pain and saddness in her heart left her to cry herself to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, when she walked into the bathroom, one look in the mirror brought back an image of her going on a Ben and Jerry's benge. After splashing her face with some cold water, she put on a white skirt and a red shirt with a white jacket over it and went downstairs. 

"Morning! Did ya sleep well?" Willow asked, mixing some batter as she waited for the waffle iron to warm up.

"Somewhat." was all she said as she sat down at the bar beside Rebecca.

Rebecca snorted at the comment as she closed her laptop. "I find that hard to believe. I could hear you crying yourself to sleep."

"Still upset over the breakup?" Willow asked.

Tea shook her head. Willow and Rebecca exchanged a quick glance. They knew from that gesture as to why she was upset.

"Well cheer up Tea. You'll get through this, and we're here for you." Rebecca said, Getting up and pouring three glasses of orange juice, handing one to Tea.

"Thanks."

"Hey now here this: no more tears, okay?" Willow stated, waving the batter-covered spoon inches from Tea's nose. "Besides," she added, "Grandpa's got a friend that owns his own restaraunt, and he can get us part-time jobs there. Actually, me and 'Becca here have worked there for a couple of years, but it pays good. You wanna check it out?"

"Sure! I can't sit around here all day and wallow in self-pity."

"That's the spirit!" Rebecca and Willow shouted at once, nearly causing Tea to fall off the stool she sat on.

* * *

The bright sun beamed down on the streets of Miami, making the apshalt and concrete hot, and the sandy beaches even hotter. In the midst of the movement of tourists and locals was a somewhat fairly good-sized restaraunt. What made it unlike most of the restaraunts around was that it wasn't completely inddors. In fact, the only part of the building that was indoors was the back room where the food was prepared, the counter, and the restrooms. The dining area was outside, but was covered by a canopy supported by a few palm trees; their leaves adding shade to the tropical umbrellas that shielded customers from the blinding sun. 

"Hey Bill! Bill! Where are ya?" Wlllow shouted as the three approached the counter.

A heavy set man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and baggy khakis came from the back. "Willow! Rebecca! It's good to see my two favorite girls again! And I see you've brought a friend." He smiled, nodding to each of them.

"Yes," Rebecca said, pushing Tea forward. "This is Tea Gardner."

"We were wondering if you could give Tea a job? She's going to be here for the summer and she needs a part-time job." Willow added.

Bill gave Tea a once over. "Pleased to meet you, Tea. My name is Bill Urban." he said, shaking her hand. "So tell me, do you have any experience in waitressing?"

"Yes I do, actually. A few years back I worked at a place in Domino called Burger World."

"Good, good. That's what you'll be doing with "Becca and 'Low. They can show you the ropes. Now as far as uniforms go, all that I require you to wear is this," he said, handing Tea a bag that ties around the waist to hole change, tips, etc. "But I would like you girls to wear something similar, just to give a sense of unity. So a t-shirt and jeans is fine unless I tell you otherwise. I think there's a festival or something coming up next month...but anyway, you have free reign over dress. You'll make 8.75 an hour, and you'll be working from 11 am to 5 pm, though it may change, depending on the crowds. Are there any questions?"

"I can't think of any." Tea said.

"That's good. Can I expect to see you girls today at 11?"

Willow moaned. "Can't we come in at 2 o clock? It's going on 9:30 as it is, and Tea needs to go clothes shopping."

"Huh? Why?' Tea asked. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing but maybe you'd feel more comfortable in jeans than a skirt. Do you even own a pair of jeans! Cause everytime that I've seen yoy Tea I have never seen you in jeans!" Rebecca asked.

Tea was silent. Maybe they were right. After all, it would be interesting to have a change of fashion. What could possibly go wrong? "Yeah," she finally answered, fingering the hem of her skirt, "I guess it is time for a change."

Bill looked at the hopeful faces of Willow and Rebecca as they silently pleaded to come in at a later time so they could give Tea's wardrobe a makeover. Finally he sighed and said, "Alright. Come in at 2 o clock, no later. And you'll have to make up for the three hours you'll miss this evening."

"Deal! You won't regret this!" They said, dragging Tea out and down the street, stopping every so often to disappear into a store.

As Bill watched them take the poor girl by force into a bustling city she knew nothing of, he walked into the sun and stared at the sky.

"I hope I won't regret this." he said to no one in particular, watching the seaguls soar above the ocean.

**Elfbrat18: Tell us what ya think!**

**Whislter: We'll try to keep up with the stories regardless if we have a computer or not.**

**Elfbrat18: I realize that we've forgotten about our favorite bishonen, but never fear, they'll be back reall soon!**

**Whislter: And what about Tea's makeover? We've got some ideas, but we'd like to know yours too! Tell us what you want to see!**


	8. The Dog Pound

**Elfbrat18: Hey what's up people?**

**Whistler: Hi.**

**Elfbrat18: What's up with you?**

**Whistler: We're swamped with loads and loads of things to do at home, how can you be so freakin' happy!**

**Elfbrat18: Because I just had a brainstorm last night. I decided that instead of changing a chapter or two from Break Away, I might as well go and set fire to nearly the whole story and start over!**

**Whistler: 0.o**

**Elfbrat18: And I know we said that Yami and Yugi would make their appearance back in the story again REAL SOON, I just had to get this chapter down and out of my head before I start with them.**

**Whistler: ; She has no idea on what to do with them...**

**Elfbrat18: Correction! I have a GENERAL idea, but not a SPECIFIC one. Anyways, tell us what you think and throw any suggestions you might have our way.**

**Whistler: Cause Lord knows we need 'em.**

**The Dog Pound**

"Let's see...you'll need...this, and this, and this..." Willow was constantly running her mouth, running around the current store they were in, grabbing anything and everything that she thought looked cool and tossed onto the ever-growing pile of clothes and accessories that Tea and Rebecca were carrying.

"Really, Willow," Tea mumbled from under a blouse that Willow tossed on her head. "Do you really think I need all of this! I don't think that closet back home can hold all of it!"

Rebecca nearly bumped into a manequin. "Have you even looked at that closet, Tea? It's huge! And, you should know that Willow is addicted to shopping."

"It's like therapy." They heard her say. "And it's a worse addiction that chocolate! Now come on, you have to try these clothes on!"

"But that'll take hours!" Tea whined.

"Exactly, that's why Bill said that we could come into work at 2!" Willow cheered.

"Tea, I think we made a huge mistake, letting Willow go shopping."

"I think so too, Rebecca," Tea whined.

* * *

Eventually 2 o'clock rolled around and the three headed back to the restaraunt to begin the start of their summer part-time jobs but not before having to stop back at the house and throw the numerous bags of clothes and things through the front door. Willow protested, but because of lack of time, Tea said that she would wear her new clothes the next time. This was because when Willow goes shopping, the part of her brain that reminds her to check her watch every now and then tends to shut off, but hey, that's not a bad thing. Right?

"We're back!" Willow shouted again. Something Tea learned quickly about her new friend was that she had a big mouth...and Willow would be the first to admit it. Grabbing Tea by the arm, she said, "Come on, I want to introduce you to the rest of the group."

She led Tea to the kitchen, where there were about six guys and two girls running around preparing food. "Hey guys, think yall can stop what you're doing for a second? Got a new girl I want ya to meet."

"A new girl? Oooo, fresh meat.." One said.

"Very funny, Jordan. Tea let me introduce you to the Dogpound. That's Jordan. He likes to tease the new workers. Come to think of it, they all do." Jordan was about as tall as Willow, with short brown hair and brown eyes. Brown eyes that silently said that he was constantly full of shit.

"And this is Rick." Rick was a little taller than Jordan, and he had messy light brown hair and blue eyes that were covered by glasses. Willow whispered to Tea, telling her that Rick had a tendency to flirt with any and every girl that worked there, but it was all in fun.

"Over there is Jason." Jason had dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders and dark green eyes. The gouti, in Rebecca's opinion, was a little much. He seemed like the kind of guy that would kick your ass if you looked at him wrong, but he was the one, as Willow mentioned, that liked to tell dirty jokes.

"That is Ryan." Willow said, pointing to the very tall guy with spikey black hair and 'whiskers' as the girls called them on his chin. Tea learned from just a nod of his head that he was one of the more quiet ones in the group.

"That's Earl, over by the oven." This guy was much older than the others, and slightly overweight, but not much. Come to think of it, he seemed similar to Bill. A big difference was that he was a computer nut, whereas Bill couldn't tell you how to turn the thing on.

"And this is Mikey." Willow said, waving a hand in his direction. Mikey was a little taller than Rebacca was now (A/N: I'll say 5'2"), but he wasn't as tall as Tea. Mikey had long brown hair that fell to his shoulders and had highlights and green eyes. His nickname was 'Shorty' and he spent a lot of his time at the restaraunt mixing the music that was playing or he was filling in as a waiter.

"These two girls are also waitresses. Tea, this is Rachel and that is Kendal." Rachel was about Rebecca's hieght. She had short black hair that reflected blue when light hit it and really light blue eyes, making her seem mysterious. Tea found out that she liked to hit the arcades. Tea wondered briefly what would happen if this woman and the King of Games were to go head to head. Kendal was almost as tall as Ryan. She had long flaming red hair and emerald eyes that stood out. Willow mentioned that Kendal liked to read those fantasy kind of books, as well as romance novels, but her favorite fantasy books were the Harry Potter series, and she was becoming more impatient as she waited for the next book to come out, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

"Guys, this is Tea. Tea, you have just met the Dogpound."

"Why do you call them the Dogpound?"

"Because they act like dogs." Kendal said. Rachel laughed. "Yeah, they're great guys, though. Each one of them will take you under thier wing and treat you like a sister." she added.

"Damn skippy." the guys said at once. "Let's show Tea why we're called the Dogpound!" Jason said, and they all made woofing noises.

"Welcome to the group." Willow said, throwing her arm around Tea's neck. "You'll love it."

**Elfbrat18: Aw shit, guess what?**

**Whistler: Other than the fact that its...(Checks watch)...3:07 am!**

**Elfbrat18: Besides that. I haven't come up with a name for the restaraunt! Argh! I'll have to add that to my list of things to do!**

**Whistler: Right...well anyway, while she's burning brain cells trying to think of a name, leave a review. Anyone that can think of a good name will get a surprise from us! Not sure what yet, but it'll be nice! We could still use some more ideas for Tea's new image as well, I've come up with one or two, btu every little bit helps! Alright, I'm going to bed now. Night!**


	9. Look at Yourself

**Eflbrat18: Oh my gosh I am so sorry I haven't updated in forever! I was brainstorming for Dreamsprite and Lonely Girl, which I need only two more reviews before I'll continue! Come on please, just 2 more. It will be better, I can promise that.**

**Whistler: Yes and we know everyone's been wondering what Yugi and Yami are up to, well wait no longer, here it is! And big thank yous to everyone that has read this story. whips out notepad To The Broken Bow, thanks for the review and the suggestion! Great minds think alike, neh? hugs**

**Elfbrat18: To animeaddict99, thanks! hugs We don't have many ideas either, lol!**

**Whistler: R.Wolfsbane, thanks for adding this to your favorites! hugs Now we can't tell you that, that would ruing the surprise! Don't you want to be surprised?**

**Elfbrat18: Again, animeaddict99, thanks for the review! hugs Yeah, those guys are wierd. I based them on some of my mom's friends.**

**Whistler: To dreamcloud516, that's not a bad idea actually. Thanks for the review! hugs And of course we'll check out your story, you read ours!**

**Elfbrat18: To cutehelenjames, hugs I feel honored! We're glad you like it. Never fear, you'll find out in this chapter!**

Look At Yourself

It had been two weeks since Tea had fled to Florida with, unbeknownst to Yugi or yami, Rebecca's older cousin Willow. During that short amount of time, it felt like an eternity. When Joey and Tristan heard the news, they merely shrugged their shoulders, not caring at all. Apparently they were still holding that trivial grudge against Tea. Duke was nowhere to be found so Yugi left him an email explaining everything in great detail.

As for Yami...well...Yami was much quieter than normal, if that's even possible. Because of his new-aquired body, he wasn't able to retreat back into the Millennium Puzzle and brood anymore, and it was something that he was struggling to get used to.

To keep his mind, and body occupied, Yami started visiting a gym almost immediately. He found weight lifting, apart from gaming, to be oddly enough, relaxing. It was something to take his mind off of all his troubles. And because of this new hobby, Yami's physique had become quite toned and sculpted. Something that caught the eyes of many of the female population. However, there was only one that Yami was thinking of, and she was halfway around the world.

It was one particular day that Mokuba was walking down the street, looking into the windows of shops and buildings with nothing to do. Kaiba was busy, as usual. Mokuba was getting tired of window shopping when he passed by the gym and nearly spit up the soda he was drinking.

_No way. _He thought, _That couldn't be...could it?_

Mokuba shook his head and rubbed his eyes, then he looked again. Getting the same result as before, he grabbed the small cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Kaiba's office.

"Hey Seto. Yeah. I know, I know. But you've got to see this! I can't say, you have to see. Where? I'm down here in front of the gym. Don't ask me why, I'm not even sure. Okay. Fine. I'll see you then. Bye."

* * *

Yugi shifted through the boxes of cards and began stocking the shelves. Grandpa had gone out to the store to get some things, so Yugi was left to look after the Game Shopm until he came back.

The phone rang just as Yugi finished putting up more booster packs of Duel Monster cards. "Hello, Game Shop. Yes. Uh, let me see, I think we have some on hand, let me check...Yes! Yes we do, we just got an order of those in today. Okay. Alright. Your welcome. Bye bye."

As Yugi was placing the phone back on the hook, Grandpa was coming in the door. "Was there anything happening while I was gone?" Grandpa asked.

"Nothing much. A few browsers and I just talked to someone that's coming by later looking for some Magic the Gathering cards. I'm not too familiar with those, but maybe you can help them; they've been looking for a few specific cards for a while now." Grandpa practically beamed at the idea. While he was off in his own little world, Yugi left him to finish a book that he was so close to finishing.

* * *

_This had better be good. _Kaiba thought to himself as he shut off the engine. His gaze lifted to meet that of his brother's through the driver's side window as Mokuba opened the door.

"Come on, before he leaves..." Mokuba begged, tugging at Kaiba's arm.

"Before who leaves?"

"Yugi - the other Yugi - just - gah! This is so confusing! Just look and see what I mean!" Mokuba said, pushing him through the door.

Inside, there were maybe four people hanging around, one of them working at a computer behind the desk.

"Great. Now I don't see him." Mokuba mumbled.

The lady looked up at them. "Is there something that I can help you with, gentlemen?"

"Ah, yes. Is there by chance that someone with the name 'Mutou' here?" Kaiba asked, leaning on hte desk.

The woman thought for a minute. "Why yes. There is somebody by that name, Yami...I think it was."

"Does he have spikey black and red hair, and blond bangs?" Mokuba asked.

"Yes. He's lifting weights." She answered, pointing them in the direction that he had gone.

* * *

"And here I thought I had seen everything..."Kaiba said.

"Kaiba.." was all that Yami said, not even bothering to look up at his rival's smug expression.

"Did the King of Games finally give up? Surely I thought you'd pose more of a threat."

"Just what do you want, Kaiba?" Yami asked, placing the weights back and turning to the Kaiba brothers.

Kaiba shrugged. "I heard from the mutt's sister that you now have your own body."

"Serenity?"

"Yeah. Mokuba saw you here and calld me. Now my question is: Do you mind telling me what's wrong with this picture?" He asked, waving his arms around.

"Do you really want to know?" The once-pharaoh asked, sitting down.

"Yes."

"Then take a seat. It's a long story."

* * *

Yami had told them everything from Tea first going out with Koga up to the point of him punching the sense out of Koga in the game shop. Mokuba stared wide eyed at Yami and Kaiba was actually smirking.

"So you punched him. I always knew there was something about that guy that got under my skin; funny though, I never would have pegged you to be the one to take the first swing. I'm impressed."

"But what about Tea?" Mokuba asked, "How's she doing?"

Both of them noticed a change in Yami's eyes. Once they were full of life and now they just looked empty. "She's gone." He finally managed to say.

"What?"

"Tea's gone. She left."

"When?"

"Three weeks ago yesterday."

Kaiba was confused now. "Why would she just up and leave? Did she leave a note or something?"

"Yes she did." Yami pulled the piece of folded paper out of his pocket and read it out loud._ "Dear, Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Duke: I want to apologize for everything that I have done in the past months...ever since the whole ordeal with Koga started. I realize now what a huge mistake it was for me to think that he even cared, and I had to learn it the hard way. I turned my friends against me because of my foolishness, and for that I am sorry. So sorry that I can not even express it in words. But by now you have found this letter, and you must be wondering why I am not around. I have decided to get a fresh start, to clear my head, and I'm going to start by leaving the place that has placed such troubles on me. But don't worry, I'll be back in the fall. Maybe by then everyone will be past this, and we can start over again. Yes, this is sudden, but this was my choice. Please do not try to find me. I'll come back on my own when I'm good and ready. I love you all like family. -Tea._"

"That's it? That's all she left?" Mokuba asked, looking at the letter that Yami handed him.

"Tea's mother said that she was going to stay in Florida for the summer. We're not sure why."

"Wasn't Professor Hawkins still working on some Atlantis project in Florida?" Kaiba asked.

"Not sure. Why do you ask?" Yami said, thinking.

"Because Kaiba Corp is funding Hawkin's research." Mokuba said, noticing how his brother was refusing to speak up. "We're leaving for Florida in a couple of days. Do you know where she is in Florida exactly?"

After a long pause from Yami he replied, "No, but I imagine that wherever Professor Hawkins is Rebecca will be there, and that's where we'll find Tea. Do you know where Professor Hawkins might be?"

Another long pause.

"No." Kaiba said. "Argh! My company is funding a reserach project and I don't even know where it is!"

Yami smirked. "It's in Florida, we know that much."

"Don't be a smartass, Yami." Kaiba said.

* * *

"Well he's sounds like himself now," Mokuba muttered at the two retreating forms as he followed. "Hey! Where are we going?" he asked, running to keep up with them.

Kaiba got into the driver's seat of his car. "Get in." he informed Yami and Mokuba.

"Where are we going?" Mokuba asked again.

As they were fastening their seatbelts, Kaiba revved the engine and sped off down the road. "We're going to the Game Shop."

* * *

The bell jingled again as the door opened to the shop. Grandpa was sitting behind the counter, admiring the three Egyptian God Cards and off in his own world. Yami, Kaiba, and Mokuba walked up to the counter and stood there, waiting for him to acknowledge their prescence. Yami waved a hand in front of his face. Nothing. Mokuba tried talking.

"Mr. Mutou?" Nothing. "Mr. Mutou?" Still nothing.

Yami leaned over the counter. "Let me try." He took a deep breath. "GRANDPAAAAAAAAA!"

Torn between shock and trying to jump-start his heart, Grandpa looked up from his current position on the floor to meet the three pairs of eyes that belonged to Yami, Kaiba, and Mokuba. "Oh! I didn't know we had visitors! I'm sorry I was daydreaming. Welcome to the Game Shop, how can I help you?" he recited.

Yami, Kaiba, and Mokuba fell over anime-style.

* * *

"Was he out of it AGAIN?" Yugi sighed, dropping down onto the couch. "We need to do something about those God Cards."

Kaiba was squirming like a little kid and about to start dancing. "You could always give them to me..."

"Nice try, but you have to win them if you want them, Kaiba." Yami grinned. "Anyway, when did you say that you were going to Florida?"

"I didn't. But I was mulling over an idea that I had."

Yugi and Yami seemed interested. "Yeah?" They pressed, hoping he would spill it already.

Kaiba looked at them, then at Mokuba, then back down at the floor before he spoke. "Do you want to go after her?" he asked.

"Yeah, but.."

"But what? What's stopping you?"

"How are we supposed to get there? I've been saving money from work but plane tickets aren't cheap Kaiba." Yugi said, then added, "What am I saying, of course they are, to you. But then you have a personal jet so it doesn't matter to you."

"Is that it?" Mokuba asked.

"No," Yami said. "What are we supposed to do when we get there? What am I supposed to tell her?"

"Just tell her what you feel." Yugi told him, understanding what he meant.

However, Mokuba missed the meaning. "Did I miss something? What are you talking about?"

"They can explain on the way down there." Kaiba put in.

"What?"

"I need to fly down to Florida in a couple of weeks, on the 18th. What I was thinking was that if I gave you two a lift down to Florida to go find Tea, the least you could do for me in return is take Mokuba with you. I'd be too busy to take him to see the sights for a while and he would enjoy the company.What say you?"

"What say you?" Yami repeated, eyeing Kaiba oddly.

"He's been watching the Lord of the Rings again," Mokuba offered. "I'd say he needs a hobby but trying to overthrow the King of Games IS his hobby."

"Well?" Kaiba asked, ignoring his younger brother's criticism.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other, coming to a decison. "When and where do we meet you at?" Yami asked.

**Elfbrat18: Ta-da! Told yall we'd update!**

**Whistler: Yes, it just took longer than we thought. But we will try to update sooner from now on, unless something goes wrong...knocks on wood**

**Elfbrat18: Tell us what you think! Please?**


	10. Tears In Heaven

**Elfbrat:** runs in circles Many apologies to everyone for not working on this! So much has come up that kept distracting me.

**Whistler:** runs off list Wedding, getting lost after wedding, art lessons, plannine for art contest, planning a website, starting a LJ community, helping with the library's summer reading program, meeting animator Ben Towle, seeing a crazy neighbor nearly plow into our kitchen (drunk no doubt, but sitll crazy as hell), getting the Sims Hot Date, writing down ideas for a new ygo fic, getting commissioned by one of the librarians for custom x-men art-

**Elfbrat:** Okay, I think they've got it. Yeah, busy summer. So how was y'alls? The heat is just ridiculous, ain't it? Well drink lots of water and enjoy the next chapter!

Tears In Heaven

It was over two weeks since Tea had left Domino with her newfound friend Willow, the older cousin of Rebecca. The hot Florida sun was beating down on said trio as they were walking out into the backyard with Willow and Rebecca taking the lead, leaving Tea to wonder what they were planning. The house belonged to Rebecca and Willow's grandfather, Professor Hawkins, but since Willow always came to stay in the summer, he allowed Rebecca to stay with her while he worked. he knew his youngest granddaughter could take care of herself, but there were just times that she needed to have an adult figure to watch over her, and that was Willow. Tea staying was a plus as well, since the two seemed to know each other. On the other hand, Willow and Rebecca would have to do everything in their power to knock the depression out of Tea. They assumed it was because of the breakup with this 'Koga' she had told them about, but it was deeper than that. She missed Yami, Yugi, all of her friends back home. She put on a brave face on the outside, but the inside she was crumbling. At work Tea was very enthusiastic about her job; she made good tips as a waitress and the customers seemed to like her. Tea was even considering saving up and buying plane tickets to fly her friends down later this summer, she just hoped that Joey and Tristan had gotten over themselves by then. The last verbal conversation she recalled having with them was nothing but shouting at each other and she hated it. These thoughts were cut short however when Tea bumped into Willow from behind, not even realizing the two had stopped.

"What's the deal? Why'd you two stop?"

Neither said. Instead they moved aside and went, "TAH-DAH!"

"We have a pool?" Tea asked. Indeed it was a pool, and a failry large one at that. Along the left and right sides lay two sets of lawn chairs, each with a table between them. To Tea's right was a grill and a picnic table not too far from it. On her left was a set of doors leading to another room of the house. "When did we get a pool?"

Willow placed a hand on Tea's shoulder. "Hun, we've had a pool since Grandpa bought this place."

"How come I haven't seen it until now?"

"You must have never noticed 'cause you were so bummed out when you got here." Rebecca offered.

"Oh..has it been that obvious?"

Willow nodded. Tea looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry you guys. I didn't realize..." but she stopped short when Willow smacked her in the back.

"Hey don't apologize! You don't have anything to be sorry for. I know from experience that breakups can hurt, and when friends fight too. My old friends and I used to have different opinions on things and just because we yelled at each other one day, didn't mean we still weren't friends. From what I've heard about your friends, this 'Joey' and 'Tristan' sound pretty hard headed. They'll get over the spat you had in time, if they haven't by now."

"Willow's right, Tea. For now, let's just enjoy the summer. And what better way then by the pool?" Rebecca said, grabbing Tea by the wrist and leading her to the set of doors.

Tea was confused now. "Hang on, now where are we going? I thought we were going to go swimming?"

"Do you really want to go swimming in your clothes?" Willow asked. "Those bathing suits we bought are back here in this room. There's a bathroom back here too, so we pretty much fixed this room to hold all the inflatable pool rafts and beach balls and stuff. There's some changing stalls Willow's friends helped her put up a few years ago, so we can change in there."

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! COLD! COLD! COLD!" Tea had been the first to come out of the changing rooms, so she grabbed a few pool toys and set them out. She grabbed one of the rafts and dove in the deep end. Tea had lost her grip on the floatie when she hit the water, and she swam over to where it was and tried getting on. With a push she heaved her butt onto the raft but before she could adjust herself Tea went off the other side and back into the water. Growling in frustration, Tea tried leaping onto the raft-it worked, but she had to shimmy to get the rest of herself on. Smiling in satisfaction she leaned her back against the backrest and closed her eyes and tried to relax...only to hear laughing from the other end of the pool. Opening her eyes she noticed it was Rebecca that was bent over laughing at her!

"Here I thought that Willow had the most trouble getting on those things!" Rebecca howled, "Apparently I was wrong!"

Tea couldn't help but smile. After all, seeing it from the specators' view it was an amusing sight to behold. "Well I've gotten a lot better over the years," she shouted back to the teen-genuis, "When I was little I had to jump off the edge of the pool and throw my arms out praying I landed on it, and that was with my parent's help!"

Rebecca starting laughing harder trying to imagine that. What she didn't see was Willow coming up behind her, grabbing her, and tossing her into the pool, followed by a beach ball aimed at Tea. "Did I hear someone call my name?" She asked with a grin.

The still grinning Willow casually stepped into the pool, and it was about waist deep that she let out a loud squeal. "Holy shit! COLD! COLD! VERY COLD!"

While Tea was trying to hide a grin that wouldn't go away at the sight of Willow's face, Rebecca had long come up for air and was still laughing. "To think out of the two oldest females here, why am I the only one that remembers that the water is only cold until your body temperature gets used to the shock of it?"

"Cause we're not super geniuses like you, I guess." Tea said, tossing the beach ball at Rebecca from behind. It made contact, and this time Tea couldn't hide the large grin that plastered her face. She looked over at Willow to see her retreating to get the towels she forgot, but she looked back to see Rebecca had disappeared. "Rebecca? Where'd you go?"

Tea wasn't expecting to hear her voice coming from under her, and it took her a second to realize what Rebecca was planning. "Don't you d-" SPLASH! Rebecca had overturned Tea and the floatie and grinning like a chesire cat.

"That's right! I am a genius and don't you forget it!" Rebecca grinned, pleased with her efforts. Tea had come up for air only to splash Rebecca in the face with a good bit of water at the words 'don't you forget it' so it came out sort of gargled as Rebecca got a mouthful of water.

Willow came back out of the changing room to find neither her cousin nor Tea, but instead a tirade of water going in a million different directions and an overturned raft. It didn't take a second for her to piece together what had happened while they were unsupervised. She walked over to the set of chairs on her left and placed the towels under the table and with a flick of her wrist she unfurled the umbrella that was set into the middle of the table. After that she tiptoed over to the diving board so as not to bring attention to herself until she wanted it. When she had one foot on the diving board she whistled to get their attention. A few seconds later the sounds of splashing had ceased and both Tea and Rebecca were looking around, trying to find out where the sound had come from. Neither of them had noticed Willow come out out the changing room, and clearly neither of them were expecting to see Willow run across the diving board and jump in, screaming "CANON BAAALLLLLLL!" SPLASH!

Rebecca and Tea came up hacking like cats with a hairball to find Willow with her back to them trying to push the wet hair out of her eyes. Rebecca was busy complaining about water up her nose and had swam over to the ladder to hoist herself up so sit on the edge of the pool. Tea swam over to Willow to compliment her on the huge canon ball she did, but what what on her back caught Tea by surprise.

"Oh Willow, what a pretty tattoo," Tea complimented, swimming towards her. "When did you get that?"

Willow turned to see Tea motioning towards her tattoo. She turned to give Tea a better look. "Angel wings..What made you decide to get angel wings, Willow?" The tattoo began inbetween her shoulderblades, and the wings feathers srpead out and along her back, just barely reaching her shoulders.

"I got this done a few years ago. It has special meaning to me," Willow began, "You see, about four years ago me and my friends had graduated from high school. And we were close, really close, almost like family. It was the day we graduated, and it was getting towards the evening and we were going out to go out and eat and then either go to the movies and see if anything good was playing, or we'd just go rent some movies and buy some junk food and spend the night at my house. Well, we never did...make it to the restaraunt."

Tea could see the tears forming in Willow's eyes, and she knew something bad had happened. She made a gesture to see if the girl would be okay, but Willow shrugged it off saying, "It's alright, I still get upset over it, there's nothing to worry about." After taking a deep breath, she continued. "Anyways, we were stopped at a 4-way intersection, waiting to turn left. Well as you can imagine there was a good bit of traffic out. I was driving. My friends and I were just sitting there talking and laughing like nothing horrible was about to happen. When we got the green I was turning into the middle of the intersection when he came out of nowhere," Willow paused, her tears were gone and what replaced them was a look of utmost hatred that gave Tea chills.

She was almost afraid to ask. "Who? What happened to you Willow?"

"The drunk driver," even as she said the words her voice was seeping venom at the mere thought of this person. "He came out of nowhere. I didn't see him coming flying down the road until the last second, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. His huge truck slammed into the passenger side of the car. My head smashed against the steering wheel first and then the driver's side window and I blacked out.

"I woke up in a hospital bed two days later. Concussion, numerous bruises and cuts from all of the glass, my right wrist was broken, I had a cracked rib...but that was nothing compared to what the doctors told me."

Tea looked over at Rebecca to see the same pained look on her cousin's face. She had a feeling this story was going from bad to worse. Willow continued, but her voice was breaking; she was on the verge of tears again. "The doctors...they told me that it was a miracle to be alive. They were told by a few of the police officers that brought me to the hospital that when the truck had collided into the side of the car we were in, the force had flipped it...twice," She heard Tea gasp, "They had to cut the car all to pieces just to get us out, so there was no saving the car. It was mangled."

"Willow, your friends...are they...?" She couldn't bear to finish.

"They're dead. The collision killed them instantly. I was the only one that survived. I was forced to stay in the hospital for a few days after that, and the whole time I couldn't help but think that it was my fault. There had to have been something I could have done to save them, but it happened so fast. At the funeral, thier parents told me it wasn't my fault, but the drunk drivers'. I still felt guilty though."

"Did they ever find him? The drunk driver?"

Willow shook her head. "No. Somehow he fled the scene before the police could make it. There were a lot of people around, but none of them could give a clear description since it was so dark. To this day that bastard is still roaming the streets. My friends are dead because of him, and the only clue I have to finding him is a dogtag."

"A dogtag? Wouldn't that be considered evidence?"

"The police gave it to me since there was nothing they could gather from it. They told me that if i could gather any clues or find anyone that might no something about the nickname engraved on it, to let them know. So the only thing between putting this bastard in jail and my friends' parents finding closure is the nickname 'Wolf Demon'." Willow sighed. "About a month after that I decided that if I ever got a tattoo, I knew what it'd be."

"Angel wings." Tea said, finally understanding.

"That's right. I don't know where my friends are now but I know they're safe. These wings tattooed are a reminder for what happened, and it's something I'll never forget. I don't know when my time is up but in a way, with these wings inked into my skin, I don't feel like we've ever been seperated. Maybe one day they'll be able to guide me to finding their killer and finally putting us all at ease." Willow finished with a teary smile.

Tea waded through the water over to Willow to hug her. "I'm so sorry. If I would have known.."

"It's ok," Willow said, hugging her back. "It's getting a little easier to talk about, but it will never be a story I can tell without crying." Letting go of Tea, she wiped her eyes. "Hey now, no more tears, okay? We'll get through this...and gettting a tan on the side is always a plus."

Tea nodded in agreement. She turned to Rebecca. "Hey Rebecca, are you going to-" But she was cut short as a huge splash of water doused her and Willow. "Why you little..."

"That's payback!" Rebecca yelled, grinning in satisfaction at the now drenched Tea and Willow. "Uh oh..Willow, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to.." she tried pleading with an innocent look. Willow threw her arms behind her only to throw them forward, slinging large amounts of water before screaming...

"WATER FIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHHHTTTTTTT!"

* * *

Later that evening, the trio had retreated the pool with hunger on their minds. Willow was bustling around in the kitchen, Rebecca was sitting at the table typing away at her laptop, and Tea had just emerged from upstairs after taking a shower. She tossed the semi damp towel she used to dry her hair with over the back of the chair she sat down at beside Rebecca.

"Willow, what's that that smells so good?" Tea asked, the aroma from the oven drifting to her nose had made her curious.

She picked up a box that laid on the counter near the oven. "It's a frozen pizza I found in the freezer. Man, we really need to make out a grocery list either tonight or tomorrow over breakfast. If we don't soon we'll be eating this ramen in the cabinets," Willow fininshed with a shudder.

Rebecca looked over at Willow then back at Tea. "Willow's not too crazy about ramen. She nearly ate it for a week she was so broke."

"Yes, and sometimes even now it makes me want to gag, so I try to avoid it if at all possible." The tall blond replied with a look of disgust.

"Hey Willow," Tea began, "If you don't mind me asking, who was it that did your tattoo? They did an amazing job on it."

She thought for a moment as she stuffed the pizza box into the trash can. "Ah..I think it was 'Bast. Sebastian is his full name, but everyone that knows him just calls him 'Bast for short. He's a great guy and an amazing tattoo artist. He's so good he doesn't have to use a picture to trace onto the skin when he works; you show him what you want and he can copy it freehand." Grabbing the oven mitts she slipped them on and pulled out the pizza. "Are you thinking of getting a tattoo, Tea?" Willow asked excitedly.

Tea got a little nervous. "Uh, well I'm not sure. I've never told myself I didn't want a tattoo, but if I did decide to get one I wouldn't know what to get. I want it to have a special meaning to me, and not just some spur of the moment thing that I might regret."

Willow was busy cutting the pizza while Tea talked and listened intently. "I know what you're saying, and that's understandable. Maybe you could design one yourself? Or if you can't think of something on paper that looks right, I can take you down to see Bast, and you can tell him what you have in mind. He'll charge most people for both the design and putting it on but since you're a friend of mine I doubt he'd charge you. His shop is very clean, and he sterilizes everything so you don't have to worry about that. If you want, this weekend I can take you down there to meet him, and you can get to know him before you decide anything. But you don't have to make a definite decision anytime soon, I'm not forcing you. There's plenty of time to think about it." She finished, bringing the now sliced pizza to set into the middle of the table.

"Yeah, that sounds really cool Willow, thanks." Tea said, grabbing a slice of pizza.

"So you want to go meet him?"

"Sure..why not? After all I've got plenty of time to make a decision." She reasoned.

"Awesome! I'll go call him and let him know after supper." Willow said before taking a big bite out of her piece.

Tea said nothing more but she continued to eat in silence, watching Rebecca and Willow go on about a new website Rebecca had found. She felt bad for Willow; she couldn't begin to imagine what it must feel like to lose all of her friends like that. She now understood why back in Domino the girl had been so upset at the thought of nearly running over her. Taking another bite she decided then and there that she wasn't going to take her friendship for granted. She would save up her money and buy plane tickets to send over to Domino to fly her friends down this summer. Tea didn't know what would happen when fall rolled around; if anything they would be saying goodbye as they head off to different colleges, and it wouldn't be very often that they'd get to see each other. It hurt her to think they might be growing apart, but she didn't want an argument to be the last things they remember before they part ways.

**Elfbrat:** So that's it for that chapter. It's funny, I almost had this chapter finished before the computer crashed, and I didn't back it up. But now I'm kinda glad I didn't, I liked the way this version turned out better. I've also noticed a lot of mistakes in the previous chapters, and believe me, when I get this story done, I will go back and fix them.

**Whistler:** It'll drive her crazy if she doesn't. Cookies to all who review:)


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